


We Will Know Such Happiness As Two People Dream Of

by LdyBug88



Category: Captain America (Movies), Ladyhawke (1985), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Hydra (Marvel), Ladyhawke AU, M/M, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-08-31 22:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 76,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20247997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LdyBug88/pseuds/LdyBug88
Summary: After escaping imprisonment, Tony Stark meets and is saved by the mysterious James, who travels only with his horse, Rosie, and his pet hawk, Captain. Join Tony and James on an unexpected adventure during which Tony quickly learns there's much he doesn't know.Stucky Ladyhawke AU that I just couldn't pass up.Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or the Ladyhawke storyline.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! I hope you enjoy my new story. I will warn you, it is still a work in progress. I generally don't post until I've finished something, but I'm hoping you guys will help me keep on top of this. 
> 
> I would also like to suggest listening to the Abel Korzeniowski score from Romeo & Juliet throughout this entire fic. I listened/listen to it while writing and found that it fits perfectly with the moods and emotions I’m trying to convey. 
> 
> Without further ado, welcome to my Stucky Ladyhawke AU.

Tony groaned in annoyance as he pulled himself through the manhole, the smell of piss and shit still in his nose. It was worth it, though, to escape that prison. They were maybe hours, possibly a day, away from executing him for crimes against the sect, against Hydra. He replaced the manhole cover and darted into a nearby alley. He quickly, carefully, made his way through the night, climbing the wall surrounding the City to escape. He had been planning his escape long enough that he knew exactly where he needed to climb and when to miss the guard rotation. He ran then, no longer needing to be as quiet or careful once he was beyond the city’s walls, but he was still watchful. He knew a Strike Team would be after him soon enough, Pierce couldn’t let it be known that someone escaped their dungeons. Hydra was so feared because many thought them omnipotent, and if word got out that someone managed to escape their previously inescapable dungeons, they would lose at least some of that fear. The fear was needed for Pierce to maintain the tight control he had over the City.

As he trudged through the forest, Tony thought about how he’d ended up in Hydra’s dungeons to begin with. Since Hydra had taken over the City decades before, it was nearing 40 years since they’d taken over, the citizens had quickly found their freedoms greatly reduced. First, it was mandatory service on the Strike Teams. All men over 16 years of age were conscripted into service for Hydra, unless they were found to have a high level of proficiency in another field – like being an engineer, farmer, or some other trade that Hydra could make use of. That law was implemented immediately after the takeover. Then, 10 years later, it was making artists second class citizens. If you were found creating art – paintings, music, literature, theatre, anything of the like – you were remanded into the custody of Alexander Pierce, leader of Hydra. After that, it was either serve Pierce and his desires or be sentenced to the dungeons with the probability of hanging. Five years after that, other artisans – the bakers, smiths, jewelers, tailors, carvers, and weavers – found their businesses monitored by Pierce and his Strike Teams. If he didn’t like what you were doing, or found you weren’t serving Hydra to his standards, you were sent to the dungeons or killed. He ruled the City with an iron fist. It was after another ten years that he closed that fist around the engineers and inventors. If they were creating things, Pierce wanted them creating for _him_. For Hydra. That was when he turned his attention to Tony.

Tony Stark, son of renowned engineer and inventor Howard Stark, had followed in his father’s shoes, taking over the business when Howard disappeared 10 years before. He knew Pierce had to have something to do with it but didn’t know how to prove anything. His father had been working on something that would help them rise against Hydra. When his father disappeared, Strike Teams and Pierce himself had come to their home to confiscate anything they could in the name of protecting the City. Tony knew it was bullshit. Hydra didn’t care about the City, only about their rule and how to maintain control over the people. After that, he knew they would be keeping a closer eye on him, so he managed to hide his father’s journals and their off the books experiments. He used a supply journey to mask what he was truly doing. He was only allotted so many out of City trips without bringing more scrutiny upon himself, so it was when he needed more supplies that he packed his saddle bag with his more controversial experiments and his father’s journals to hide away in the forest should he ever have need of them. He thanked his past self for the forethought of packing those away with other supplies – some money and well-preserved foodstuffs, among other things. Sure, it would just be jerky and hard candy, but that was better than nothing. If he remembered correctly, he had also stored an empty water skin and a couple of sets of tunics and leggings and a spare pair of boots.

His downfall had come just two weeks ago when he’d had a visit, at his home, from an unknown man asking for assistance. The man did not provide his name, nor information on where he’d come from, and was covered almost completely by his cloak. He’d said that he knew Howard and had met Tony once or twice when he was a boy and had known then that Tony had the potential to be an even greater engineer and inventor than his father. Tony had allowed the man inside and found out that he needed help escaping the City. He escaped years before but had returned for some supplies he needed for an important project. He explained that he had been able to get into the City easily but leaving was nigh impossible with the guards checking everyone as they left. Hydra had implemented mandatory searches on those leaving the City but welcomed them in with little thought. That practice had never sat well with Tony. The man told Tony that Pierce had been searching for him for some time due to his work in his younger years. He had refused to allow the man use of his inventions more than he’d already done before that point. It had been one of the reasons he’d escaped to begin with. Tony had wanted to ask more, but the man refused to share more details, beyond how he’d found the engineer to begin with. Tony was known in certain discrete circles for helping people in need, particularly in escaping the City and Hydra. It didn’t take long to walk the man through an escape route once he’d told Tony that the butcher, Happy Hogan, had told him how to find him. Happy had been working with Tony for years now and both wanted nothing more than to see the fall of Hydra. It was after he helped the man escape that the Strike Teams came and arrested him, using their surveillance of him as reason enough. He’d been kept prisoner in their dungeons for two weeks. Two weeks of daily interrogation sessions. Of daily torture. Pierce, himself, had even come to see him the day prior. Tony had been surprised to find that the man wanted more information on his inventions than about the mystery man. It had only been due to Pierce’s surprise visit that he had finally found his escape through the sewers. The guards had been distracted by the man’s visit and had been less attentive than usual, giving him enough time to remove and slip through the grate in the floor. He’d carefully returned the grate, so as not to give himself away. That had given him a little extra time to get away.

As he rushed through the forest now, he tried to remember where he’d hidden his cache of supplies. It hadn’t been too close to the City, because he’d worried that someone could have stumbled across it. He made his way deeper into the forest, toward the inn he knew was there. He remembered using the inn as a landmark for hiding his things, so that was his starting point. Once he oriented himself to the inn, he would have little trouble finding his cache. Or so he hoped.

* * *

It was dark by the time he found himself at the edge of clearing housing the inn. He stayed at the edge of the tree line and looked around, not wanting to walk out into the open before scouting for Strike Teams. He saw a stable boy walking a horse around the yard, a few men sitting around a table in front of the inn, torches illuminating them as they laughed and smashed mugs together before drinking deep. There were another couple of men leaning against the building, smoke rising from the glowing cigarettes between their fingers. It didn’t look too busy, and he didn’t see any obvious signs of Hydra. He took a hesitant step forward before he heard rustling from behind him. He bit back a yelp and scurried toward the back of the inn, where he knew he would find a well. He made quick work of pulling up some water to rinse his hands and face, drinking from his cupped hands after cleaning himself of the day’s dust. Only once he knew he was at least clean to the eye did he make his way inside. He made eye contact with the innkeep at the bar, who slowly made his way toward him, away from the rest of the customers.

“Long day?” The innkeep asked, using a clean looking rag to dry a mug, glancing around the room casually, “We’re expecting warmer temperatures tomorrow.”

Tony smiled tiredly, “Wasn’t exactly cooler weather today, though, I’m sure.”

“No,” the innkeep agreed, “but winds from the east are expected by noon, bringing in warmer weather.”

Tony almost wanted to laugh. The network of those who helped citizens in need used a clear code that could easily be mistaken for small talk about the weather. Winds from the east. Strike Teams from the City would be here by noon. More than one if he was saying it would be warmer. He’d hoped it would be longer before they were sent out, though he’d still been keeping an eye out for them on his journey here. It sounded like maybe a scouting party, or more than one, was here earlier and they had found something or knew something that had them recommending Hydra come personally. He gave the innkeep a nod of thanks, “Any chance I can beg a room for the night? I can be gone by sunrise.”

The innkeep gave a short nod and reached under the counter, bringing out a key, “Room under the stairs is available. If I’m not here in the morn, you can leave the keys in a mug at the end of the bar. Or, if there’s a flame haired woman here, you can give them to her.”

Tony nodded, “Many thanks, friend.”

He turned slowly, using that time to scan the room. Other than the dark haired innkeep, he found his eyes drawn to a dark blonde haired man of average height at the darts board and a pair of men, one with long blonde hair and a long braided beard, the other with long, straight black hair, clean shaven, sitting in one of the booths, mugs of ale in front of them. All three men seemed to be more alert than the rest, seeming to scan the room like the innkeep and Tony. He wondered why before shrugging it off and moving to his assigned room. It was a room made for a quick and easy getaway, situated with a direct line to the front and back doors as well as across the hall from the kitchens, which surely had its own exit. He had started to settle down when a knock came on the door. He cautiously moved toward the door, calling out quietly, “Can I help you?”

“Bruce, the innkeep, sent me with some hot water for washing, sir,” a feminine voice called quietly in response.

He slowly unlocked and opened the door, seeing a flame haired woman on the other side and opening the door farther, “Thank you, please set it on the dresser.”

The woman raised a brow but obeyed and entered the room, gently setting the steaming jug of water down beside the basin that was built into the dresser, gesturing toward the basin, “The basin is connected by pipe to the outside, so you may wash in the basin and remove the plug to drain it.”

Tony’s eyes widened in glee as he moved closer, “Truly? I’ve heard of such things, but never seen them before. The City is very…closed off to modern influences and outside ideas.”

She met his eyes and nodded, “Yes, unfortunately it is.”

They lapsed into silence for several moments as Tony put the plug to stopper the drain and poured some of the steaming water into it, grinning widely when none seemed to leak out. The woman pulled a bar of soap out of her apron and started to hand it to him, but he shook his head quickly, “Please, set it beside the basin. I don’t like being handed things.”

She did as requested with no question, not even a strange look. He appreciated it. She cleared her throat and leaned in closer, speaking softly, “Bruce might not be at the bar in the morning, but he said he’d told you it’s safe to leave the key with me.”

Tony nodded, “Yes, he said to either leave it in the mug at the end of the bar or to give it to you if you’re behind the bar.”

“That’s right,” she told him, “I’m Natasha, I run the inn with Bruce.”

“Is he your husband?” Tony couldn’t stop himself from asking.

Natasha rolled her eyes, “Does a woman have to be married to her business partner for it to be believable?”

“No,” Tony quickly responded, “I just…wasn’t sure.”

“No, he’s not my husband,” she told him with a grin, “My husband is the lazy good for nothing playing darts. That’s why I need a more grounded business partner.”

Tony laughed, “Makes sense.”

“Can I get you some clean clothes?” She offered, making her way to the door again, “No offense meant, but you smell like shit.”

Tony couldn’t help but laugh again, finding her forthrightness refreshing, “Please, if you have some available that would fit, I’d appreciate it.”

“Clint, my husband, looks to be the same size,” she told him, “I’ll fetch something and will return soon. I’ll announce myself at the door. If anyone else comes along, stay silent. The fewer people that know about you, the better. Your photo is already on some wanted posters along the main road.”

Tony locked the door behind her and moved back to the basin, removing his shirt and throwing it into the corner, before he began to wash himself with the hot water and soap. He wasn’t sure how much time passed before he heard a quiet knock on the door. He draped the drying cloth found folded next to basin around his neck and moved to answer it, stopping when he remembered Natasha’s warning.

“It’s Natasha.”

He unlocked and opened the door, relieved that it was her. She ignored his half naked state and set the clothing on the bed before grabbing his filthy shirt from the corner of the room. She glanced back at him and sighed, turning away and closing the door all but a crack, “Take off your pants, too. I won’t look, just toss them on the floor here and I’ll take them out and burn them. We can’t leave it as evidence you were here.”

Surprised and impressed by her forethought, he hesitated only minutely before taking off the rest of his clothes until he was standing bare. He moved his hands in front of his crotch and cleared his throat, “I appreciate everything you’re doing and risking helping me.”

Natasha just picked up the clothes and glanced to him, her eyes kind, “You’ve done far more for others, Stark. We’re just part of the team.”

He locked the door after she left and moved back to the basin, removing the plug and watched the water drain with a childlike glee. This is what they needed in the City. Everything was stagnant without progress like this. He plugged the basin again and filled it with half of what was left in the jug, deciding to leave the rest for the morning. He washed again, this time more about _feeling _clean than washing away the filth. He unplugged it again and watched the cloudy water drain away, feeling as if his strength went with it. He clumsily dressed in the provided clothing, noticing the pants fit well, but the shirt hung off him a little. Natasha’s husband must have broad shoulders, he thought as he fell onto the bed, sleep taking him as soon as his head hit the pillow.

* * *

Tony woke to a single knock on his door. The footsteps didn’t even pause as they continued down the hall. His wake-up call. He’d said he would leave by sunrise. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes before washing in the basin. This time, he didn’t take time to enjoy the marvel that was the drain, but just washed the sleep sweat from his arms, neck, and face. He grabbed the now empty pitcher and bar of soap before unlocking the door and removing the key. He gently shut the door behind him as he scanned the hallway, still as he tried to hear movement from nearby. He only heard one set of footsteps that sounded like it was coming from the common room and walked toward it. Natasha was behind the bar, wiping down the countertop, when he came into the room.

“Morning,” she greeted softly as she set down her cleaning rag before walking toward him, “I hope you slept well.”

He smiled sheepishly, putting the soap, pitcher, and key on the counter, sliding the key toward her, “Best sleep I’ve had in weeks.”

“I’m glad,” she smiled, picking up the key and busying herself under the counter, “Anything I can get for you before you head out?”

Tony shook his head, “I have somethings near enough that will help me on my way.”

She brought out a thin rag and wrapped up the bar of soap, sliding it back across the counter, “For the road, then. You be safe, alright? You need anything, you know where to come. We’ve some contacts if you need to go across the sea.”

Tony nodded, smiling softly at the concern, “I appreciate it. I have a place I can hide out for a while. I just need to get there.”

Natasha nodded, “Then good luck.”

She walked away and went back to cleaning the counter after depositing the pitcher in the sink behind the bar, as if Tony had never been there. He glanced at her once more before making his way to the back door. The dawn haze made everything look golden as he looked around, making sure no one was watching him as he escaped into the forest, not seeing the scout leaning against the building.

An hour into his journey, he came upon his cache, hidden in a hollowed-out tree. He pumped his fist in the air, celebrating his find, as his other hand dragged the pack out of the tree. He dropped it to the ground and dug through it, finding the food, water skin, clothing, and money as expected. Buried under all of that was his father’s journals and a few experiments he’d not wanted Hydra to get their hands on. One was an experimental energy source that he hadn’t quite figured out yet but knew he could if he had the time to devote to it.

“Look what we found here, boys.”

Tony froze at the voice. He knew that voice. Rumlow. He was one of the guards who had tormented Tony when he was in the dungeons. Worse, he was one of Pierce’s most devoted men. He turned slowly and saw several men spread out around him, knives and flails at the ready. That meant they wanted to play. If they were serious, they would have their swords out. Tony swallowed heavily. His escape was very short lived, but he knew he wouldn’t go back. He couldn’t. He’d rather they kill him now than be kept caged, or worse, back in the City. He stood slowly, “I won’t let you take me in.”

The man at the front of the group had dark hair and a rough, craggy face. _Rumlow_. He grinned maliciously, “That would’ve been boring, Stark. Me and the boys want to have some fun, glad you’re so obliging.”

Tony turned, picked up his pack, and made a run for it. He heard the echo of curses behind him as he dodged the men surrounding him, running as fast as he could, deeper into the forest. It wasn’t long before one of the men tackled him to the ground. He thrashed about, throwing his elbows and kicking his legs until he managed to get free. He scampered to his feet and took off again, not sure if he was going the same direction as before anymore, just desperate to get away. He tripped over tree roots and fallen branches but managed to stay on his feet. Then he was hit. Pain ripped through his shoulder. He glanced back and saw the handle of a knife sticking out from his back. His distraction caused him to trip. He fell, then, groaning at the pain, not only from hitting the ground, but from the knife shifting. He heard laughter as the Strike Team closed in. He closed his eyes at the satisfaction on Rumlow’s face. He hated that look.

“Looks like we’ve got you now, Stark,” Rumlow bragged, laughing loudly, “Maybe we’ll let you up again and see how much longer you can run. The hunt is half the fun, right boys?”

The men around him cheered. Tony kept his eyes closed, not wanting to give them the satisfaction of his surrender.

“What the hell?”

He heard shouts from all around him and then heavy hoof beats. He opened his eyes and saw a cloaked man riding toward them, his horse bearing down on the Hydra men, sword out and ready. Tony rolled to the side, away from the horse as it rode by, watching as the stranger slashed his sword at the men around him. The Strike Team members went down quickly under the stranger’s assault. One of the Hydra men managed to grab onto the stranger’s cloak, and it fell away, revealing a man with brown hair pulled back in a messy bun, a rough beard, and what appeared to be an arsenal of knives strapped in various locations. What really caught his attention was the man’s left arm. He had, apparently, ripped off the left sleeve of his tunic, and, from what Tony was awed to see, the arm revealed was made entirely of metal, with a red star on his shoulder.

Tony’s eyes fell on Rumlow when he heard a choked sound from his direction. There was such fear on the other man’s face that he wasn’t sure what to think about this newcomer. The metal armed stranger swung down from his horse and made short work of the rest of the men, distracted as they were by his appearance and not at all on par with his sword work. Rumlow came back to himself and pulled out his own sword with a growl, stepping toward the stranger when his back was turned. Tony let out a cry of warning, but before the stranger could even turn around, a large golden bird flew at Rumlow, screeching and clawing at any and all available skin. Rumlow cursed, dropping his sword as his arms moved to shield his face. He tried to attack the bird, but it didn’t allow him the chance, carrying on its attack. The stranger finished the last of the Strike Team members before turning to Rumlow. He gave a loud, short whistle and the bird flew to his now outstretched metal arm. Rumlow took that moment to pick up his sword and run. The stranger, not seeming bothered by the man’s escape, turned and clicked his tongue at the bird, smiling as the bird nuzzled its head against his cheek.

Tony watched the oddly affectionate pair and cleared his throat, slowly standing and brushing the dirt and leaves from his clothing. He met the stranger’s eyes, shuddering at the almost blank look in them, and stepped forward, “Thanks. For saving me like that. I appreciate it.”

The stranger grunted in response before lifting his flesh hand and gently petting the bird’s head. Tony watched, curious at the behavior, “What kind of bird is that? Did you train it yourself? It’s great that it protects you like that.”

The man smiled down at the bird, so small that Tony almost missed it, before turning stony eyes to Tony, “_He_ is a hawk.”

“Oh,” Tony said, surprised at the gruff, deep voice, not sure how else to respond, “Sorry. He.”

They lapsed into silence as the stranger gathered his cloak from where it had fallen, grunting when he realized it was ruined and tossed it back to the ground. He walked over to his horse and rubbed its nose, speaking quietly to it before petting the hawk again. Tony slung his bag over his shoulder and made his way closer to the stranger, “I’m Tony. What should I call you?”

The stranger turned back to him, eyebrow raised, a look of confusion on his face, “Why would you call me anything?”

“Well,” Tony began, hesitantly, realizing now that he was closer that the man was tall, several inches taller than himself, “You just destroyed all but one member of one of Hydra’s Strike Teams. I’m thinking that means we might be on the same side here.”

The other man barked out a harsh laugh, “What makes you think I’m on anyone’s side but our own?”

“Our?” Tony asked, confused, “You have companions?”

The stranger glanced down at the hawk, affection back in his eyes, “Yes, I do.”

Tony nodded, “Right, your buddy the hawk. What about having someone else on your side? A human? Me, perhaps?”

The other man raised a brow again, “What makes you think I’d like the company of a human?”

Tony blinked, then considered it, “I mean…maybe not. I know I don’t really, but maybe we can help each other?”

“How could you help me?” The stranger asked, leaning back against the horse, absently petting his hawk, “What makes you think I’m any better than Hydra?”

“You saved me?” Tony offered, then gestured excitedly toward his bag, “Also, I’m an engineer. I can build things. Hydra kind of has it out for all of us, but since they passed that law about engineers needing to work through them, it’s made any progress impossible. Hydra doesn’t want us creating anything unless they can use it as a weapon. But I still build things. Maybe I can build you something?”

The stranger looked at him as if he could dissect him with his eyes, trying to weigh his words, determine if Tony was speaking the truth. He hummed, considering, “What do you think you could build that I would want?”

“Anything!” Tony offered excitedly, “You saved my life, I owe you. I’ll build anything.”

The stranger looked down at his hawk for a long moment before stepping closer to Tony, assessing again, “What do you know about serums?”

Surprised by the change in subject, Tony shrugged, “I mean, my practical knowledge isn’t great, but I have a lot of theoretical knowledge. Plus, I have my dad’s notes, and he was well known for his serums.”

The stranger jerked back, eyes wide, “Who is your father?”

“Was,” Tony corrected, clearing his throat, “He’s…dead now. Probably. Disappeared 10 years ago, and that’s long enough that he’s been declared dead. Howard Stark.”

The stranger gasped, “Howard Stark? You’re…his son?”

“Yes?” Tony was confused now, “I just said that.”

The stranger turned to the hawk again, staring into his oddly bright blue eyes for a few moments before nodding and petting him gently, “I…Howard is alive. He’s been…trying to help us for years now, but hasn’t… I know where he is.”

Tony felt his heart beat faster, “H-he’s alive? My dad’s alive? Where? Why didn’t he come home? What happened? How long have you known him? Can you take me to him?”

The stranger nodded once, “I can take you to him.”

Tony rushed forward and threw his arms around the other man’s neck, earning a sharp peck for forgetting about the bird, but it – _he _– just flew to rest on the pommel of the horse’s saddle. The stranger held his arms out to his sides, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with them, before moving them to awkwardly pat Tony’s back and pushing the shorter man away. He cleared his throat and looked away. Tony saw the light pink of a blush on his cheeks and laughed, “Sorry, it’s just…my dad…I never thought…I thought Hydra must have…”

“He’s probably not the man you knew,” the stranger warned him, “He’s…Hydra _did_ do something to him, and he’s not the same as he was.”

“But he’s alive!” Tony countered, joy radiating through him. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed his father all these years. He’d been 25 when the man had disappeared, but they had always been close. They had always experimented together and come up with new ideas together, helped people together. Since Tony’s mother had died, it had just been the two of them, and Howard didn’t want to disappoint his wife in the care of their son, so he taught him everything he knew, and hoped he would be better. Tony shifted back and forth on his feet, eager to see his father again, “Are we leaving now? How long will it take to get there?”

The stranger rolled his eyes and turned to tighten the straps securing his saddle bags to the horse, “We can leave now. It will take about two weeks to get there. That’s as good a place as any to lie low.”

“Great!” Tony grinned widely, “Now, what do I call you? Since we’re going to be around each other for the foreseeable future.”

The stranger glanced over at the hawk before answering, “James. My name is James.”


	2. II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me a little longer to make it through editing this chapter, but here it is! I have a couple more chapters already written, but will be editing them before posting. I'll try to post at least once a week, but I'm sorry if life gets in the way!
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

It didn’t take long for James to finish checking his horse, but Tony felt like it took an age. He couldn’t keep still, not now, not knowing that his father was alive after all these years of believing he was dead.

“Are you going to be like this the entire time?” James asked dryly, continuing to work.

“No, yes, maybe, probably,” Tony answered, still moving around, “What was the question again?”

James sighed, turning to Tony and meeting his eyes. Tony was distracted by the almost glowing ice blue eyes and missed what the other man said, “Sorry, can you repeat that? I didn’t hear anything you just said.”

James rolled his eyes, “I said that if this is how you’re going to be, maybe you shouldn’t come with me.”

“No!” Tony yelled and moved to grab James’s tunic in his fists, “Please. I’ll calm down, it’s just…I just found out my dad’s alive. I can’t…”

The hawk let out a quiet, almost gentle screech and flew to land on Tony’s shoulder. His claws scratched the man’s skin, but Tony was just surprised the bird came to him to begin with. James was too, if the wide-eyed look of shock was anything to go by. James narrowed his eyes at the bird, “Traitor.”

The bird let out another low screech and tipped his head toward Tony, making Tony think for a minute that he was communicating with James. He shook his head, thinking that was just ridiculous. Then James sighed heavily and held up his metal arm, “Alright, fine. But we need to get going if we’re to make camp before sunset.”

The hawk let out a screech that must have been agreement, because he flew over to James’s extended arm and nuzzled against the man’s cheek. James rolled his eyes, “Yeah, yeah, ya punk.”

“Well that was strange,” Tony said into the silence.

James let out a snort of amusement, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet, pal.”

James walked over to the horse again, talking to the hawk as he went, “I’m gonna need both arms for this, why don’t you go scout ahead a bit.”

The hawk let out a shriek and took off, flying up through the trees. Tony was impressed with how well trained that damn bird was, “How’d you get it to do that? Does it always just listen to you like that?”

James vaulted himself up into the saddle and turned to Tony, extending his metal hand and seemingly ignoring his questions, “Come on. You’ll have to ride behind me. Rosie’s a strong gal, she’ll get us where we need to go.”

Tony looked at the hand skeptically before cautiously taking it and letting himself be pulled up into the saddle. He grunted and clumsily clambered into the saddle, slinging his leg over the horse and awkwardly gripping James’s waist, “Well, today’s just full of all sorts of new experiences, isn’t it?”

James let out a low chuckle and nudged the horse forward.

They were silent after Tony’s initial push for conversation failed. Tony kept watch, eyes wandering over the forest, as if trying to spot something. Trying to spot Hydra. He’d given up on conversation, but would sometimes hum to himself, not liking the near absolute silence of the forest. Sure, there were sounds of nature around them, but it was still more silence than he’d been used to. The City was all noise all the time and you got used to it or got used to it. The only sounds in the forest were the sounds of Rosie’s hooves as she stepped through the dry leaves carpeting the ground, or the rustling of woodland animals in the trees, even the occasional shriek from James’s hawk.

The day passed slowly before they finally came to the edge of the forest. James clicked his tongue and Rosie came to a halt. He looked up at the sky and tapped one of Tony’s hands, “You can let go now. We’ll make camp here for the night.”

“Are you sure? Are we safe here?” Tony asked as he practically fell off the horse, legs aching from being astride all day.

James swung down gracefully and began unstrapping his bags, “We’ve been riding at a reasonable clip for most of a day. Rumlow would have to go back to the City and get more men before he could give chase, but he wouldn’t know where to go. We’ll be safe for now, at least.”

Tony nodded in understanding, then walked over, “Can I help?”

James looked up from what he was doing, lips quirked into the semblance of a smile, “Wanna fill our skins with water? There’s a stream nearby. Captain can show you.”

“Who’s Captain?” Tony asked, confused as he glanced at the horse.

James laughed and there was a shriek as his hawk descended, landing on his shoulder and running his beak through the taller man’s hair, grooming him, “This is Captain.”

Tony met the hawk’s eyes, surprised at the…intelligence…he could see there. He nodded, “Alright, come on, Cap, let’s go find some water.”

He quickly pulled his own water skin out of his pack and took the three offered by James before turning to the bird, “Where do we go?”

The bird screeched and flew off back into the forest, slow enough for Tony to follow him, but fast enough that the man had to jog. It was only a few minutes before they came to the stream. Tony grinned at the bird, now perched on a nearby branch, “Thanks, this is great.”

He laughed as Captain preened at the compliment before squatting down to fill the skins, leisurely washing his hands, arms, and face before taking a drink as well. He turned to the bird and spoke again, “You’re the strangest bird I’ve ever seen. Why are you so different?”

The bird tilted his head and shrieked, making Tony laugh, “Yeah, I can’t understand hawk, sorry. Seems like James can, though, which is part of why you’re so strange.”

Captain seemed to consider that before nodding his head, taking Tony by surprise, “Shit. That’s almost scary.”

The hawk screeched in a way that made Tony think he was laughing at him. He grabbed the filled water skins and stood again, gesturing toward Captain, “Take us back to camp, Cap.”

The hawk took flight and easily led them back to camp. James had since hobbled Rosie and started a fire. The other man looked up when Tony entered the camp, a smirk on his lips when Captain landed on his metal shoulder. The hawk screeched and nuzzled against the man’s hair. James laughed and pet the bird gently before asking, “Think you can rustle up some supper?”

Captain shrieked an agreement and took flight again, disappearing quickly, on the hunt for their supper. Tony watched him fly off and turned back to James, “Was he making fun of me? Because that’s what it seemed like on this end.”

James laughed again and shook his head, “Nah, just thinks you’re a little green is all.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “Sure that’s not what _you_ think?”

“Oh, no,” James began with a grin, “That’s definitely what I _know_, but he tends to give people more credit than they deserve, so he just _thinks_ it.”

Tony glared in offense, “Really?”

“You said it earlier. You’re an engineer, an inventor. You’re not a soldier or a naturalist,” James explained reasonably, but Tony ignored that.

“Don’t use your logic on me,” he complained, making James laugh again.

“_My_ logic?” James asked, still laughing, “Pretty sure that’s just plain Earth logic, pal.”

Tony huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, earning another sharp bark of laughter before James turned to dig through one of his bags and pulled out a rag and a bar of soap, “I’m gonna wash up in the stream. Holler if you need anything.”

Tony watched him go, glad he’d thought to do a little washing up himself while he got their water. He looked up when he heard rustling and saw Captain returning with a large rabbit in his talons. The hawk dropped the creature in front of Tony before flying to a low hanging branch. Tony felt like the bird was watching him for amusement. He glanced down at the dead rabbit and grimaced before pulling out some tools and getting to work on preparing it for supper.

By the time James returned, Tony was sitting close to the fire and had skinned the rabbit, set it on a spit over the fire, cleaned the skin with some water, and added some salt for preservation. James raised a brow when he saw the fur hanging near Captain, “Looks like he brought back something good?”

Tony nodded, “Yeah, pretty big rabbit. I was surprised he was able to carry it as well as he had.”

“Thanks for preparing it,” James said, and gestured toward the fur as he moved toward one of his bags, pulling out a book before sitting on the other side of the fire, “And for that. Can never have too many skins.”

Tony rubbed a hand along the back of his neck, “You set up camp, it was the least I could do.”

They were quiet for a while after that, James getting lost in his book and Tony in his thoughts. Tony broke the silence, “Why’d we stop so soon? Sun’s not even set yet, we probably could’ve gone a bit farther.”

James’s face closed off and he looked up at Tony with hard eyes, “This is a good place to stop. Couldn’t guarantee a better camp if we’d gone out in the open. Here, we have the possibility of forest cover if we need it.”

Tony accepted the excuse, though he didn’t believe that was the full reason, and nodded, “Makes sense, I suppose.”

They lapsed into silence again, James going back to his book, slowly flipping through it. Captain flew down shortly after that, landing on James’s metal shoulder again and started grooming the man’s hair. James smiled softly and reached up to pet the hawk, talking quietly to him, “I know, I’ll wash it when we can find a decent, safe place anywhere, but can’t guarantee that’ll happen any time soon. Hydra probably has men scattered across the country by now.”

The hawk made a soft chittery sound with his beak and continued to groom and nuzzle his human perch. Tony watched the two interact. It was fascinating. There was something about the man and the hawk that he just couldn’t understand. Some dynamic he couldn’t quite grasp. The man treated the animal as if it were human. He turned the rabbit on the spit and watched as the sun cast an orange glow as it slowly fell. When the rabbit was cooked, they made quick work of the meat. James shared his portion with Captain, keeping up a quiet conversation the entire time. Tony couldn’t hear what he was saying but watching the emotions as they flickered across the other man’s face was interesting.

As soon as James finished eating, as the sun almost finished its descent, he got up, Captain still on his shoulder, and spoke, “I’m going to bunk in the tree line. Don’t come after me, stay by the fire.”

Tony stared at him, confused, “What? Why are you going into the forest? Why don’t you stay out here too?”

“It’s a better idea to spread out a little. This way, I’ll be able to keep watch from a different area and keep any other creatures away from the camp,” James told him before walking away, not waiting for a response. Captain glanced back and screeched once before they were gone.

Tony pulled two blankets from his pack, laying one down before crawling on top of it and using the second to cover himself. When the sun fully set, the darkness settled quickly. He shivered as a chill grew in the air. He heard bugs and other forest creatures stirring and felt unsettled. It had been a long time since he’d had to sleep in the forest. When he was a child, he and his father had camped out sometimes when they were foraging, but this was different. He was starting to drift off when he heard twigs breaking, coming closer to the camp. His eyes opened wide when he heard muffled cursing, but he didn’t move. It didn’t sound like James, but he didn’t know who it was or what they wanted. Was it Hydra again? They wouldn’t be this quiet. This sounded like one person. The noises came closer and he squeezed his eyes shut, hoping whoever it was would say something to give themselves away. Whoever it was walked closer to the fire, grumbling quietly, but Tony could still hear, “Damn cold. Damn stubborn jerk. What the hell?”

Tony almost laughed at the grumbled complaints but kept still and silent so he could find out more about the stranger who wandered into their camp. It was a man, he could tell that much, but that was all. His voice wasn’t as deep or gruff as James’s, but he had a similar way of talking. He risked cracking an eye open. Next to the fire was a man with short, golden blonde hair, petite stature, probably shorter even than Natasha, from the inn, had been. He looked almost frail. He was wearing a pale blue tunic and brown leggings that seemed too large to fit him correctly, only showcasing how tiny he was. Tony had no idea where this man had come from, but he kind of wanted to feed him. Bright blue eyes widened as they met his own and it took him longer than he’d admit to realize that he’d been discovered.

“Er…hello?” Tony offered hesitantly, quietly.

The tiny man, because he was clearly a man and not a boy, gave a bright, sunshine smile. It was the most welcoming smile Tony had ever seen in his life. The man settled closer to Tony, a warm, gentle voice responding, “Hello, Tony.”

“How do you know my name?” Tony asked, words almost slurring with how tired he was combined with the sudden absence of concern over this newcomer. For some reason, he was no longer worried about who this man was or why he was here. Maybe it was the smile? Tony briefly considered the thought that no one with a face that sweet could have cruel intentions. When he woke, he’d realize how ridiculous that was, but for now, it soothed him.

The sunshine man gave another smile, “I just know.”

Tony felt his eyes close and hummed a response. He felt a tiny, softly calloused hand rest gently on his hair, sweeping it back from his forehead, that warm voice washing over him, “Shhhh, it’s alright. You’re dreaming, Tony, but you won’t get any rest if you’re fighting yourself here too.”

That sounded logical, Tony thought as he let sleep take him as the sunshine man kept whispering gently to him.

* * *

“Time to break camp.”

Tony jolted up and looked around, mind still sleep hazed and confused. His eyes met James’s and he squinted, “James?”

The other man nodded, a look of concern passing across his face, “Yeah, you alright, Tony?”

Tony looked around again, remembering his dream of the sunshine man, then shook himself. It was just a dream. He nodded, offering a small smile, “Yeah, sorry, weird dream.”

James’s eyes sharpened and he glanced over at Captain, who was on his shoulder, before turning back to Tony, “What about?”

Tony just shook his head, “Don’t really remember. Only remember a small man with blonde hair, kind smile, and a nice voice.”

James swallowed harshly, his eyes darting away, “Oh.”

Tony just shrugged it off, standing, “So, time to get a move on?”

They didn’t talk as they broke camp. James talked quietly with Captain, but Tony found that to be normal now. Might not be the most common pet, but the pair seemed to get along better than most pets and owners he’d seen. They ate a little of the hard candy and jerky Tony had packed away for breakfast and then both climbed onto Rosie. James turned to Captain, now sitting on a tree branch, “Fly ahead? Let me know if we need to take a different route?”

The hawk let out a shriek of agreement and flew away.

The ride was the same as the day before: neither spoke, unless it was James speaking with Captain when he’d come back to them. They stopped at midday to have a meal of brown bread and jerky but kept a steady pace. They had crossed the plains and were back in the forest, though this forest was less dense and was home for many who wanted to avoid life in the City. He knew there were supposedly fewer Hydra followers out here, but they were still careful to avoid the denser areas of homes. It was almost sunset when Captain returned to them, guiding them to one of the homes. Tony, again, clambered from Rosie, James right after him. The front door of the cabin opened and a dark skinned man filled the doorway, sword in hand as he stepped right outside the door. The man’s eyes were narrowed as he watched them closely, “Can I help you?”

James stepped forward, Captain coming to land on his shoulder, “We were hoping we could rest in your stable for the night.”

Tony cleared his throat, “Maybe trouble you for a bite to eat, some water to drink? We’ve been traveling all day. We can pay!”

The man eyed them both, looking like he was about to say no, but Tony spoke again, wondering if there were many of the underground out this way, “How’s the weather today? East winds brought warm weather where we’re coming from.”

Understanding lit the dark man’s eyes and he nodded, replying, “Winds haven’t reached us yet, but gossip says they should hit in the next day or so.”

Tony let out a relieved breath. James was just looking between the two men like they’d lost their minds, but Tony just shook his head at the other man for now, trying to convey that he would explain later. James took a minute before nodding and turning back to the dark man in front of the house, who was still watching them carefully, “We’d appreciate a roof and some supper, if you have some to spare. If not, a roof is all we really need.”

The man nodded once, “I suppose we have some stew to spare for supper. Well is out back if you want some water, you can help yourself to it to wash up too. We’re happy to offer help when it’s needed.”

Tony smiled, “We appreciate it.”

“Can I bunk my horse in your stable for now? Get her bedded down for the night?” James asked, gently patting Rosie’s side.

The man nodded, “Of course. There’s some hay and feed in there she can help herself to.”

Captain screeched and ducked his head in the man’s direction before James, after a nod of thanks, led Rosie into the stable. Tony watched until they were gone before going up to the dark man, “Thank you again, for your assistance.”

The man smiled, welcoming, “Glad to see the network is still going strong, even if it is thinning out.”

Tony nodded, “I ran into a couple other supporters along the way. Network is still there, and now, more than ever, we need to stay together.”

A tall, pale brunette woman moved into the doorway behind the man, “There’s been rumors of higher activity among the Strike Teams these last few days.”

Tony rubbed the back of his neck and gave a wry grin, “I may have something to do with that, but I think my friend is who _really_ drew them out.”

The woman smirked and moved an arm to wrap around the man’s waist from behind, her lyrical voice washing over him when she spoke, “Anyone who can upset Hydra like that is welcome in our home. I’m Margaret, but friends call me Peggy. This is Gabe. My husband.”

The man, Gabe, sighed, “You know we can’t-”

“Just because Hydra’s laws prohibit it doesn’t make it less true,” Peggy interrupted fiercely, glaring at him, “I don’t need a church or city official to tell me we’re married. Have I ever let what other people think stop me from doing what I think is right?”

Gabe grinned and pressed a kiss to her temple, shaking his head, “Never.”

Tony grinned and nodded, “I’m glad to see you’re not letting Hydra stop you from living your lives.”

Peggy smiled smugly at him, “I would never. Just because they feel they can make rules and demands on us for how we behave, who we love, doesn’t mean I give a damn.”

Gabe laughed, “Pegs would take on Alexander Pierce himself if she had to.”

“You’re damn right,” she returned, smirking.

Tony laughed and held out a hand, shaking both of their hands before gesturing around the cabin, “I should wash up and, if you don’t mind, refill the water skins.”

Peggy waved him off, “Of course. Tell your friend he’s welcome to as well.”

With that, Tony nodded and turned away, walking over to the stable. As he got closer, he realized that James had been gone for a while, long enough that the sun had finished setting. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, calling out, “James?”

There was a rustling from one of the stalls toward the back, but the other man didn’t reply. Tony walked toward the rustling, but only found Rosie helping herself to some feed. He saw the saddle bags resting to the side of the stall door, and one of the bags was open. He managed to stop himself from looking deeper than what he could see resting on top, but it was too dark to see anything. He opened the door, confused. Normally, James was more cautious, never letting Tony see into his bags at all. He stopped as soon as he entered the stall, eyes wide, when he saw the shadow of a man huddled at the back of the stall. He rushed forward, “James! Are you alright?”

As he neared the man, he realized it wasn’t James at all, but his sunshine man. The man he thought was just a dream. He stood still, eyes still wide as the smaller man looked up at him, his own bright blue eyes wide in surprise, his tunic only half on. Tony took another step forward, “What…I thought…you weren’t real?”

The petite blonde shook his head and gave a rueful smile, quickly smoothing his tunic the rest of the way down his body, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to confuse you, but…we weren’t ready.”

“Uh…” Tony couldn’t think of anything he could say. Why was the sunshine man here? And why…hadn’t he been wearing clothes?

The blonde man stood, brushing hay from his tunic and leggings. The same as the previous night. He stepped closer to Tony until he was directly in front of him, only three steps away. The top of his head only reached as high as Tony’s nose, so he tilted his head back slightly to maintain eye contact and smiled sweetly, “Hello, Tony.”

“Hello?” Tony offered, still confused, “Wait, so…you’re real?”

The smaller man let out a small, sweet laugh, “Yes, I’m real.”

“Who _are_ you?” Tony asked as he reached out to poke the other man’s cheek, earning another laugh, this one sounding suspiciously like a giggle, “And why are you adorable?”

The man let out a full laugh at that, “Well, I can answer the first question. My name is Steve.”

“Steve,” Tony echoed, getting a nod in answer, “Where did you come from, Steve? And where is James?”

Steve bit his lip, “That’s a bit more complicated.”

Before Tony could ask any more questions, he heard Gabe call out, “Everything alright? You need help out there?”

Tony walked away, leaving Steve in the stall as he walked through the rest of the stable, looking in the other stalls, but he didn’t find James anywhere. He walked back to the entry door and called back to Gabe, “Sorry, Gabe, we’ll be in after we wash up. Got caught up out here.”

Gabe shot him an understanding look that Tony had no idea what to do with before going back inside. He wondered why Gabe would look at him like that. Did he have horses that caused problems? Steve snickered from right behind him, making him jump. He turned around with a glare, “Don’t sneak up on me!”

Steve rolled his eyes, “I didn’t sneak, I just walked. Not my fault you weren’t paying attention.”

“What’s funny?” Tony asked as they walked behind the cabin and took turns washing up.

Steve just grinned widely once they had both finished washing, “Gabe thinks something was going on in the stable.”

“Yeah? I got that, but I still don’t know why he’d look at me like that,” Tony said as they walked back around, but Steve just laughed, shaking his head, as they walked up to the door. He knocked gently to let them know they were there, waiting for an invitation.

“Come on in,” Gabe called out.

Steve pushed open the door and walked in first. Gabe and Peggy looked at the small man, surprised. Gabe’s eyes narrowed, “Who are you? What happened to the other guy?”

“I’m Steve,” Steve introduced himself, stepping forward to offer a hand to each other them, “James is keeping watch in the forest.”

Tony glanced at him, confused because James hadn’t mentioned traveling with someone else, but managed to keep his reaction from showing. Gabe and Peggy nodded, but Peggy asked, “Doesn’t he want something to eat? I imagine he’d be hungry.”

“I brought him a rabbit when we switched off,” Steve told them, then explained further when he saw their still skeptical looks, “I keep my distance during the day and keep watch, and he takes nights. Though there’s always a couple hours during the switch when we’ll keep watch so the other can sleep. If you don’t mind, though, maybe I can bring something to him later?”

Peggy smiled gently at him, “Of course, that’s sweet of you. I’m Peggy, and this is Gabe.”

Now Gabe was looking between the men, eyes narrowed, “Were you switching watch in the stable?”

“Yeah,” Steve told him as he laughed at the blush rising on Gabe’s cheeks.

Peggy met Steve’s eyes and joined in with her own laughter. Tony was still just as confused as he was before. Gabe mumbled, “Come on, Pegs, I only thought there were _two_ of them, and they were out there for so long.”

“Oh!” Tony realized then what that understanding look had been about. That just set Peggy and Steve off even more. When they calmed down, Tony and Steve followed the other two as they led them through the small living room to the kitchen, where the dining table was already set up and waiting for them. Peggy gestured for them to sit. It was a small square table, one chair on each side. Gabe sat down and Steve and Tony each took the seats on either side of him, leaving the seat across him for Peggy. She filled Gabe’s bowl, then reached for Steve’s, but he quickly stood, gently taking the ladle from her, “Please, sit down, you made the meal, let me dish it up at least, get you off your feet.”

Peggy smiled at him, “Thank you, Steve. Such a polite young man.”

“You say that as if you weren’t the flush of youth yourself, Ms. Peggy,” Steve grinned at her and pulled out her seat. Tony and Gabe exchanged eye rolls as Peggy giggled and swatted absently at Steve’s arm as she sat, taking the compliment as it was meant. Steve quickly filled the remaining bowls before returning the ladle to rest in the pot and sitting down himself. He turned to Peggy, “I don’t know what rites you follow…”

Peggy smiled at him and reached out her hands, palms up, and Gabe did the same. Tony took her hand in his right and Gabe’s in his left, watching as Steve took their hands as well. Peggy nodded to her husband and he spoke, “We give our thanks to the earth for providing for our needs. We welcome Tony and Steve to our table-”

“Gabe! You can’t forget the other one,” Peggy chided.

Gabe turned to Tony and Steve with a shrug, “I didn’t get his name.”

Steve giggled and Tony rolled his eyes, answering, “James.”

Gabe nodded and continued, “We welcome Tony, Steve, and James to our table…or stable…trees? We welcome them to our home anyway and hope that they receive whatever help they need on their journey. Dig in.”

They all ate leisurely, each of the men offering compliments to Peggy on the stew. They were all finishing up when they heard noises coming from the horses in the stable. Steve stood quickly, followed by Tony and Gabe, and ran to the door. He stepped out and paused, listening for a moment before darting off behind the stable. Tony ran after him, “Steve! Wait, you don’t know what’s out there!”

Gabe followed, picking up his sword. Peggy stood in the doorway, a sword of her own in hand. When Tony and Gabe caught up with Steve, they found him with his arms around the neck of a black wolf, though one of its legs was grey. They both gasped in surprise. Wolves were rare in this area. It was far too populated for them to feel safe enough. Even then, _this _wolf was larger than any either man had seen before. To top it off, it looked like it was _cuddling_ with Steve. It was almost as tall as him, would be taller were it to stand on its back legs. The wolf started growling dangerously when it saw Tony and Gabe. They froze where they were, Gabe calling back to Peggy, “Pegs, it’s a wolf, go back inside.”

“Like hell I will,” she called back.

“At least stay there for now,” he returned, getting a disgruntled huff in response.

Steve pulled back, turning to look at Tony and Gabe, but kept an arm around the wolf’s neck. His eyes widened when they saw Gabe’s sword, “No! Don’t hurt him!”

Tony made a frightened noise in his throat, “Steve, he looks like he’s about to tear you apart.”

“He would never hurt me,” Steve protested, turning back to the wolf, “Would you?”

The wolf stopped growling and turned to Steve, letting out a gentle whine before pressing his snout to the man’s neck and licking his skin, making him giggle and swat at the wolf, “Ewww, it’s cold! Don’t be gross!”

The wolf huffed at him, as if laughing, and Steve hugged him again. Tony shook himself, disbelief filling him at the entire situation, “Steve…”

Steve turned back to the other men, the most innocent look on his face, a wide sunshine grin stretching his lips, “What?”

Tony just gestured toward the wolf, “You and James are just…really weird with animals, I guess?”

Steve giggled again when the wolf snuffled into his neck, “Yeah, something like that.”

Gabe looked back and forth between Steve and the wolf and shook his head, “What the hell?”

Tony nodded, “Exactly. I don’t know that there’s anything to do here?”

“He won’t hurt the animals,” Steve told them, eyes wide and looking nervous, “He just wanted to know where I was. He probably just couldn’t find me. He worries when he can’t find me.”

Gabe just shook his head again and turned to walk to the cabin, calling back to them, “You can camp out in the stable. There’re extra blankets in the loft. Too damn tired for this…”

Steve snickered as the other man walked away, leaving him with Tony and the wolf. Tony looked closely at the wolf, trying to see something, but he didn’t know what. His eyes met the wolf’s and he jerked back in surprise, his eyes glancing at the grey furred leg. Left front leg. And the wolf’s eyes were the same icy blue as…James. His eyes widened as a thought came to him and he breathed out softly, “No…it can’t…that can’t be…”

Steve turned to Tony nervously, hands running through the wolf’s fur, “What?”

“That’s…James…but it can’t…”

Steve swallowed and buried his face in the wolf’s neck. The wolf turned intelligent eyes to Tony and dipped his head. Tony let out a startled, almost hysterical, laugh, “That’s…impossible…”

“I wish that were true,” Steve told him, eyes filled with tears, “I really wish it were, but then sometimes I wonder if we’d be alive at all if it were.”

Tony’s eyes widened again as he thought about it. It…was impossible, but it also, strangely, made sense, “Are you…wait…your eyes…the hawk?”

Steve turned his face back into the wolf’s neck and nodded. Tony shook his head, “But how?”

Steve leaned back and looked into the wolf’s eyes, a sweet smile on his face, eyes not leaving the wolf as he responded, “That’s a long story.”

“We’ve got plenty of time,” Tony reasoned, “Weeks, really.”

“You’re right,” Steve agreed, humming thoughtfully, then turned to Tony, “I’ll tell you.”

“You will?” Tony asked, almost surprised.

“Yeah,” Steve agreed, attention moving back to the wolf, “but to understand, I have to tell you everything. Our story.”

Tony nodded, eagerly, “Yes, please. I want to know.”

Steve pressed a gently kiss to the wolf’s head, “Alright. I’ll tell you. Each night, I’ll tell you a bit more until you know everything. Why don’t we get settled into the stable first and then I can start?”

Tony nodded, “Yeah, yes, okay.”

They made their way back into the stable, the wolf following them, and unpacked their own blankets, making beds on a couple of haystacks. The wolf, James, Tony reminded himself, waited until they were settled before moving to curl up around Steve. Steve smiled and cuddled up to him, letting the wolf settle his head on Steve’s chest.

“I’m not sure where to start,” Steve started, nervously, looking up at the ceiling, “I’ve never talked to anyone about this before. It’s too unbelievable for anyone to take seriously.”

“Where does it make sense to start?” Tony asked, turning on his side to face Steve.

Steve nodded at that, “Alright. I guess, for me, it started when Pierce commissioned me to do a series of paintings.”

“Pierce _commissioned_ you?” Tony interrupted, “I thought all artists were required to work for him and Hydra or be killed?”

Steve shook his head, “No, I mean, yes, that’s how it is _now_, but back then, we were free to take commissions as we wanted.”

“Back then?” Tony asked hesitantly, understanding even more how unbelievable this would be.

“Yeah,” Steve answered, twisting his fingers together nervously, “Back then.”

Silence enveloped them. Tony broke it when he asked, “Steve, how long ago did this happen?”

Steve swallowed loudly, “Just over 30 years ago.”

Tony gasped. The other man looked to be younger than Tony, but he just told him he had been commissioned, _commissioned_, by Pierce to do paintings over 30 years ago. He watched as Steve shifted until he was on his side, facing Tony, the wolf’s head now resting on his side. Steve pillowed his head on his hands and spoke again, “Yeah. You’ll understand more later, but it happened a little over 30 years ago.”

Tony took a deep breath and nodded, “Alright. Please, continue.”

Steve smiled at him weakly before speaking again, “As I said, Pierce commissioned me to do a series of paintings. It was estimated that it would take about a month per painting, and he wanted twelve of them, so I would spend a year, in total, working on them. The pay was good. I wasn’t sure, then, why Pierce had contacted me, but it was the biggest commission I’d had in a while, so I wanted to try it. We’d agreed that I would stay at the castle, in the guest wing, while working on the paintings, so he could come by at any time to see the progress and so I could consult him directly should I have questions.”


	3. III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I'm going to try to work a bit on this story this weekend, and I've finished my review and edits of Chapter 3 so you get it earlier than expected! I think you can reasonably expect Chapter 4 later today, or, at the latest, tomorrow. I'm hoping I can really get into it this weekend and not just review the chapters I've already got, but write some new stuff. Fingers crossed!
> 
> Enjoy!

_ **THEN** _

_Steve had never been so excited, or nervous, before. Sure, working for Hydra wasn’t the part he was looking forward to, but twelve, twelve, paintings. It was exciting to get this opportunity. Finding any work these days was hard, especially for an artist. People didn’t seem to be interested in the arts these days. That was why, when Alexander Pierce contacted him, he almost immediately accepted the commission. He’d wondered why Pierce chose him but didn’t let that thought weigh him down for long. It was work, and at least a year’s worth, too. They had discussed him spending about a month, maybe two, per painting, so it really would be a year to two years where his needs were met and then, upon completion, he would have more than enough money that he and his mother would be able to live comfortably for years._

_He was following Pierce himself as he gave Steve the grand tour of the castle. Pierce was letting Steve maintain creative control for the most part, but he did give him some rules and restrictions for his duration at the castle. Steve would have the guest wing to himself, which was exciting. Pierce had told him he didn’t want anything to distract Steve from his work, so he made the wing off limits to everyone else. He told Steve that he would only allow others into the wing if they were specifically ordered to deliver a message to him, but that he would generally try to speak to the artist himself. The studio, where Steve would be spending much of his time, was also in the guest wing, and he was to let Pierce know if he needed any other supplies or if he ran low on ones he already had. Steve was also told that, while he was allowed to socialize for the purposes of his work, he expected the paintings to take up the majority of his time. Steve took that to mean that Pierce didn’t want him to interact with anyone other than himself unless he had to. He had almost felt the bars of his golden cage enclose him with that, but shook it off. It would be a year, maybe more, but he chose to just think of it as one year to finish._

_His mother hadn’t wanted him to take the offer, but he couldn’t stand to see her pushing herself so hard when he could barely contribute. He would miss her, but had built time into his contract that would allow for him to take a day to visit her once every other week. Pierce had been understanding about the situation, which had surprised Steve when all he had heard about the man was…never anything good. He had been forced to negotiate for the full day, as Pierce was, at first, only willing to allow a few hours, but Steve had argued that their home was inside the forest, so he would have to leave City walls and travel two hours there and another two hours back to see her. Pierce had then allowed him a day as long as he would maintain his schedule and required that he be accompanied by a guard personally assigned by Pierce. Steve was more than happy to agree to those conditions. At least he would be allowed to spend time with his mother._

_“Do you have any further questions, Steven?”_

_Steve turned wide eyes to Pierce, surprised out of his thoughts, and shook his head, “No, sir. It’s just such an honor to have this opportunity, I can’t thank you enough.”_

_Pierce smiled down at him, seemingly pleased by his modesty and deference, “I understand the importance of family, and, after seeing your other works, I know you’ll be able to appropriately capture the life and spirit of Hydra. I expect great things from you, Steven.”_

_“Yes, sir,” Steve nodded, standing up straight, proud. He may not agree with Hydra or Alexander Pierce, but knowing his work had reached a man like him…that was more than enough to make him proud._

_“Wonderful,” Pierce said, smile still on his face, “We’ll set up a time for me to sit with you, as I’d like you to get my painting finished first, then we can discuss the others. Does that sound good?”_

_“Yes, sir,” Steve agreed, excited, “I’d also like to look around, see what stands out as possibilities for the other pieces.”_

_Pierce chuckled, “Stop by the main hall for breakfast and we can discuss when I’m available, otherwise, you should take your time to tour the castle this first week. Get a feel for what we’re trying to do here. I’d recommend watching a training or two to see how things work there. One of the paintings will feature a training exercise, so I’d like you to decide who you would like to sit in that one, to show Hydra’s strength. I believe we’ll do that one after my own. It’ll be good to boost morale with the Strike Teams, I think. Until then, why don’t you get your things settled in your room and look at what’s available in the studio. If there’s anything you need, you can bring a list to breakfast and I’ll make sure it’s provided.”_

_“Thank you again, sir,” Steve told the older man as he turned to leave. Pierce gave him one last smile before leaving him alone. In his wing. Steve still couldn’t quite believe how much space he was provided, even if it was more like a gilded cage. For now, though, he would do as Pierce suggested, though it had come out more as a command, and unpack his things to settle into his room._

_He turned to the door beside him, the door to his room, and used the key he was provided. As he unlocked the door, he couldn’t help but think that he was opening the door to his new home, at least for the next year or two. As he stepped inside, he looked around. It was comfortable, he thought, enough, at least. He saw his pack on a chest at the foot of the bed, his things having been taken by one of the servants when he arrived, before moving to the fireplace and getting a fire started. It was the end of summer but the weather could get chilly overnight, and he had always gotten cold easily, so he wanted to ward it off before it settled into his bones. He left the room again, deciding to unpack his bag after seeing his new studio. Pierce had told him the studio was the room directly across from his bedroom so it would be convenient should he work late or have an appointment first thing in the morning. Pierce had laughed as he said that he wanted Steve to be able to give in to his “artistic whims” easily. He was sure the man had meant it as an insult, but had shrugged it off. He opened the door with a different key Pierce had given to him. His patron had said this was the only key beyond the master key that Pierce himself held, so Steve wouldn’t have to worry about his work or space being accessed by anyone else._

_When he stepped into the room, he gasped. There were canvases already lined up along one wall. The opposite wall had shelves and shelves full of paints. Oils, watercolor, anything he could wish for. There were jars full of brushes of different sizes there as well. There were sketch pads and pencils, charcoals and pastels. To think, Pierce had invited him to ask for more. He wandered the room, touching each canvas, picking up each brush, trying to get a feel for the many tools before him. He has his own things, of course, not having expected an entirely new studio, but they were worn from use. Even though their contract stated that all materials would be provided, he hadn’t expected this bounty. Steve sighed as he returned the brush he was holding to it’s jar before turning back to the door. He paused, giving one last look around the studio before leaving._

_He went back to his bedroom after locking up the studio. There was a large pitcher next to an empty basin that he used to wash up in before undressing for bed. He crawled, naked, between the sheets, letting out a sigh at how comfortable it was. This was luxury, he thought as he dozed off, even if he had to put up with being this close to Hydra for it. His last thought before sleep took him was that maybe he and his mother would be able to move farther away from the City after fulfillment of the commission._

_As agreed, he joined Pierce in the main hall for breakfast in the morning. Pierce seemed to want to show him off, his new toy, to the others in the room, but eventually he was able to discuss the man’s sitting and scheduled a time for later that week. After that, he wandered around the castle, finding himself near the soldiers’s barracks and the training grounds soon enough. He made his way out to the training grounds and looked around. There were men sparring with various weapons around the grounds. Some were competing in hand-to-hand combat, others were using knives, even more had swords and flails. There were even several men gathered near the archery targets, bows in hand with quivers slung across their backs. He wasn’t sure where to start, but then something caught his attention. He turned toward the hand-to-hand combat area and watched as a large man, much larger then the man he was fighting and possibly over twice the size of Steve, was taken down by the smaller man. Steve tried to hide his grin, but he always loved when the least likely combatant won. The smaller man – though, compared to anyone else, he was still quite large himself – had long brown hair tied back with a strip of leather and was grinning wildly, arms raised in victory. He was bare to the waist, revealing scarred, tanned skin that Steve tried not to stare at for too long. He was surprised, when his eyes returned to the man’s face, to find the victor was returning his stare. Steve’s eyes widened and he felt a blush tint his cheeks. The man just grinned wider and winked. Steve hurriedly left the grounds and made his way back to his wing, trying to calm his blush the entire time._

* * *

_By the end of his first week at Hydra’s castle, Steve was starting to realize that this commission would be more difficult than originally anticipated. He’d had his first sitting with Pierce the day before, and the man couldn’t sit still. He was constantly shifting. Steve had managed to get a few initial reference sketches, but he needed much more before he could get started. They had another sitting appointment in two days, and Steve was hoping to get much more accomplished then. Other than Pierce, there were issues with some of the Strike Team members. Most were fine, but there were a few that seemed to make it their job to harass him if he was anywhere near them – if they could see him, he was their target. One, barely old enough to be conscripted, by the name of Rumlow, seemed to alternate between telling Steve that all artists were weak and should all be put down to prevent the waste of resources and telling him that he was pathetic and weak and should have been put down at birth to stop him from draining resources from Hydra when they could have been spent on something better. Nothing new to Steve, as he’d been hearing things like that since he was a child, having been sickly his entire life, but it still hurt. The bright side was that another soldier had overheard Rumlow one day and taken him to task for it. Steve had realized later that it was the victor he had seen on his first day. The one who had winked at him. The first time that happened, Steve had blushed and nodded his thanks before running back to his studio. The surprising thing was that it kept happening. The man would call Rumlow out if he even looked at Steve, telling him that he needed to pay more attention or he wouldn’t be worth their time. That seemed to help, and now Rumlow would mostly ignore him unless he was close enough to whisper his harsh words as they passed each other._

_Today, though, Steve decided to get some working sketches of some of the men in the training yard, since that would be the next painting he would work on after he completed Pierce’s portrait. He wanted to see which men would work best for the next painting. He already knew he wanted to include the man who protected him, whether he meant to or not, from Rumlow. He would never admit it, but he already had several sketches of the man’s face. He found that he couldn’t help but sketch different aspects of the man. He was…there was something about him that Steve found he couldn’t ignore._

_He walked out onto the training grounds and tried to casually look around as he made his way to his now usual spot – an old tree stump that he’d taken to sitting on while observing the men. He climbed up and sat cross legged, opening his sketchbook and taking the charcoal pencil from behind his ear. It didn’t take long to find _him_. His eyes located him easily. He was in the sword sparring ring this time. He watched as the man moved almost fluidly, fighting off his sparring partner easily. There was almost a…gracefulness to his movements. Steve immediately got to work, drawing out the man’s shape. As he finished the outline of the man’s body, he felt frustrated. He’d never been close enough to feel comfortable drawing his features. The sketches he already had were almost shadowed, as he couldn’t quite get his features right. He let out a huff of annoyance and looked up again for reference, eyes widening when he realized his subject was now almost directly in front of him, grinning at him. He would never admit to the squeak he let out._

_The man laughed happily, “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”_

_Steve bristled, sitting up straight and narrowing his eyes, “You didn’t. I just…was…surprised…”_

_The man raised a brow, his grin turning more devilish, “Didn’t know there was a difference. My apologies. I didn’t mean to _surprise_ you.”_

_Steve rolled his eyes, “Alright, I get it.”_

_The man let out a laugh and moved closer, surprising Steve when he didn’t try to sneak a look at the book on Steve’s lap, “You’ve been out here every day for the last week. Is there anything I can help with?”_

_Steve bit his lip nervously and considered just asking the man to stand still. He sighed and gestured at the other man, deciding to just go for it, “Can you just…stand there…for a few minutes?”_

_“Uh…sure?” The man agreed, face scrunched in confusion._

_Steve was impressed as he just seemed to…freeze. He raised a brow before directing him a bit, “Can you…just move that arm a little higher…right, and tilt your head more like this…perfect…now hold still.”_

_Steve focused mostly on the man’s face. He was beautiful, with his cheekbones and plush lips. Steve felt his cheeks heat at the thought, but ignored it, continuing his work. He did several sketches of his different features – several of just his eyes, just his lips, his nose – then did more of his whole face. When he felt satisfied with the number of sketches of his face, though he couldn’t capture the eyes quite right in just the grey of the charcoal, he moved on to the rest of his body. Sketches of arms and legs, his neck, his torso littered the next few pages until the man cleared his throat. Steve blinked up at him, coming back to himself. He felt his cheeks heat again. When he worked, he became hyper focused and could lose track of time and the comfort of his models. He shook himself and hesitantly smiled up at the man, “I’m sorry, you can move now. Thanks.”_

_The man groaned as he shifted different muscles, “Never woulda thought just standing still like that would hurt.”_

_“I’m so sorry,” Steve apologized again, closing his sketchbook, “I get a bit…focused when I’m working.”_

_The man looked him over curiously, “Working, huh? You gotta be the artist Pierce brought in, then.”_

_Steve blinked, a little surprised that Pierce would have told others. He seemed the…possessive type. Steve nodded, “Yeah, I’ll be here for the next year or two, depending on how quickly I can work.”_

_The man grinned widely and almost skipped over the remaining distance between them, hitching himself up onto a free bit of the stump before turning back to Steve, “That’s great. I’ve always been curious about artists. It always seems like you have different worlds going on in your heads.”_

_“That’s…actually, that’s probably close to accurate,” Steve tilted his head as he thought about it, “Though, for me, I think it’s more about how I see the world than a different world.”_

_The man nodded his understanding, “Because you make real life into art. You take something that already exists and make it almost immortal.”_

_Steve blushed again at the blunt way he said it, “I mean, for me, I think it’s more about making other people see that art is already there? And I’m not sure about immortal, but I guess it at least makes it last longer than it normally would.”_

_Grinning again, the man gestured casually toward Steve’s sketchbook, “Can I see?”_

_At Steve’s hesitation, he quickly continued, “I just meant what you did of me. I’m curious how an artist sees me. You don’t need to show me anything, though. I’m just askin’.”_

_Steve just looked at him for a moment before steeling himself and opening the book again, cautiously angling it so the man could see, “These are just component sketches, really. Parts of the whole.”_

_The man moved a hand and traced the air above one of the full face sketches, “This is…this looks so _lifelike_. This is amazing!”_

_Steve was starting to think his skin would become permanently red if he kept company with this man for much longer, “They’re just sketches. Thanks, though. I’m glad you like them.”_

_“Like them?” The man met Steve’s eyes and Steve was caught by the beautiful pale blue color, “These are great! I can brag to the guys – I’m _artwork_, I’m a _model_.”_

_Steve laughed at the man’s preening, unable to stop himself from leaning and bumping his shoulder against the other man’s, “Alright, calm down.”_

_The man grinned down at him, smile even wider now, and held out a hand, introducing himself, “I’m Bucky.”_

_Steve blinked at that, “_Bucky_?”_

_The man, Bucky, ran a hand along the back of his neck and shot him a soft, nervous smile, “Well, James, but my friends call me Bucky. And I think you and me can be friends.”_

_Steve grinned in return, his slim hand slipping easily into Bucky’s larger one, “I’m Steve.”_

_They grinned foolishly at each other, hands clasped gently, for several moments. Steve felt like he could have stayed like that for ages._

_“Hey, Sarge, you done making nice with short stuff over there? We need you to show us how you did that thing when Rollins tried to knock you down!”_

_Bucky shook himself and looked over at the group of men gathered on the other side of the yard, calling back, “Yeah, I’ll be right over!”_

_He turned back to Steve, seeming to realize that he was still holding his hand. The moment was broken now, so he quickly released his hand and let out an almost nervous laugh, running a hand through his hair, “Sorry, looks like I gotta get back to work.”_

_Steve smiled sweetly, dazedly, up at him, “Yeah, I should try to work on a couple sketches of Pierce before our next sitting.”_

_Neither man moved, eyes focused on each other._

_“Sarge!”_

_Bucky jolted and stood up, looking at Steve, but gesturing toward the men, “Right. I gotta…”_

_Steve nodded almost absently, “Yeah, you should…I should…”_

_Bucky took a step backward, not looking away, biting his lip before asking, “Will you…you gonna be around tomorrow?”_

_“Yeah,” Steve nodded quickly, “‘Course I’ll be here.”_

_Bucky grinned widely, “Great, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”_

_“See you tomorrow,” Steve echoed quietly as Bucky turned and jogged over to the group of men who’d asked for his help. He glanced back over his shoulder once and waved before giving the group his full attention._

_Steve blinked, a warm feeling filling him. It reminded him of when he ma bought him his first set of paints. It was that same life altering feeling of happiness, but he didn’t know quite how altering just yet. He closed his sketchbook again and hopped down from the stump before tucking the charcoal behind his ear. He walked back to the entrance of the castle, looking back at Bucky when he was in the doorway, watching as he happily demonstrated some moves to the men, laughing at something that was said. Yeah, he thought, feeling a little dazed, this could change things._

* * *

“What happened next?” Tony asked, eagerly, “Also, _Bucky_? What kind of name is that?”

Steve laughed and rolled his eyes, “It’s a nickname, obviously. And I think we should stop for the night. It’s getting late and we both need sleep.”

Tony pouted a little at that, “But I want to know what happened next! You haven’t even gotten to what happened!”

Steve laughed quietly as the wolf, _Bucky_, huffed out a loud breath before licking at Steve’s chin, “You told me to begin where it made sense, so that’s what I’m doing. It makes sense to start from the beginning, so it’ll be a bit before I get to what Pierce did to us.”

Tony turned serious then, “So it _was_ Pierce.”

“It was,” Steve confirmed, shuddering. The wolf shifted even closer, letting out a soft whine before licking Steve’s chin again. Steve smiled softly at him, “It’s alright, Winter. I’m okay, just a bit tired.”

“Winter?” Tony arched a brow, curious, “Is that his animal name? Like Captain is yours?”

Steve nodded sadly, “I don’t know about him, but, while I remember some, I’m still not exactly myself when I’m a hawk. It’s all instinct, and I _am_ an animal. It helps distinguish those parts of ourselves. Makes it a little less painful, too, for me. I know he’s still Bucky, but he’s also not. I know that Winter cares for me too. He’s not a normal wolf, but he’s enough of one that if I hadn’t been here, he might have attacked you and Gabe earlier.”

Tony swallowed loudly, “Right, so, make sure you’re always there to tame the wolf. Will do.”

Steve cuddled farther into the warm fur behind him, “Always a good plan.”

They lapsed into silence and Tony hesitated before asking his next question, “Steve?”

“Hmmm?” The other man hummed a response, too tired for much more than that.

“Nevermind. We can talk more tomorrow night,” Tony said, thinking about Steve’s story as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Tony woke the next morning to rustling. He cracked open an eye, cringing at the light now filtering into the stable. He heard a chuckle and opened both eyes. James was sitting on a stack of hay, gently petting Captain and flipping through his book again. He glanced down at Tony and chuckled, “Late night?”

Tony groaned as he sat up, “I didn’t realize it then, but I guess I’m glad Steve called it quits when he did.”

“Yeah,” James chuckled, looking at Captain wistfully, “Steve’s always been a punk, but he usually knows what he’s talkin’ about.”

“How much do you remember of what happens when you’re…Winter?” Tony asked, standing and stretching until his back let out a series of cracks.

James seemed to think about it before answering, “It’s…hard to explain. ‘Remembering’ isn’t how I would put it. I mean, I’m still a wolf, just slightly less feral than a wild one. It’s more like, I _know_ that Steve was here last night. I _know_ that Steve started telling you some things. I _know_ I fell asleep beside him. I don’t _remember_, not really. Those things happened to someone else, but I _know_ they happened.”

Tony nodded his understanding, “I guess that makes sense. Well, as much as any of this makes sense.”

They quietly began to pack up their things, James carefully tucking the book away first. Captain had moved to perch on one of the stall doors while they worked. It didn’t take long for them to get everything packed up, and James was finishing strapping everything to Rosie when Gabe and Peggy came in. Gabe looked around nervously, “Your pet wolf still around? Well, Steve’s pet wolf, I guess.”

James shook his head, “Nah, he goes with Steve when we shift out the watch.”

Gabe looked relieved. Peggy let out a gasp, eyes on Captain, “What a beautiful bird!”

Captain let out a shriek and preened, making everyone laugh. James shook his head and held up his metal arm, Captain immediately flying over to nuzzle James’s hair. James grinned at the hawk, “Yeah he is, and he knows it too.”

The hawk preened again before grooming James hair. Gabe chuckled nervously, “Guess you and Steve really _are_ weird about your animals.”

James shrugged, “We’ve been alone a long while, with only them for company. It’s hard not to think of them as friends, family even, after what we’ve been through together.”

Peggy nodded, “I’m sure, but it seems like you also have Steve, and Tony now.”

James looked at her, surprised, before turning to look at Tony, head tilted as if considering something, “Yeah, you’re right. We’ve got Tony now, too.”

Gabe cleared his throat, “And don’t forget, you’ve got the network to help if you ever need it. Tony can share the codes, but know you’ve got us too.”

James smiled, though surprised, at the acceptance, “Thank you. I’ll try to remember. It’s hard, sometimes, to think that we’re not alone anymore.”

Peggy walked up to him and, after laughing at the shriek from Captain as he flew to perch on the stall door again, pulled James into a tight hug, “Come see us if you’re ever in the area again.”

She moved to hug Tony as well, “You take care of them. They seem…so lost.”

Tony nodded, “We’ll take care of each other.”

She smiled and stepped back, picking up a pack from beside Gabe and set it next to Tony, “We packed up some food. It’s just some brown bread, jerky, and hard candy, but we hope it helps.”

She moved to stand beside Gabe, who shook both men’s hands, “It’s been…weird, but also good, to know you. You come back if you need anything, alright?”

“Thanks,” Tony nodded once, “We appreciate all you’ve done.”

With that, James and Tony climbed into the saddle and went on their way. Peggy, seeing the hawk still there, moved forward, reaching out to pet him. Right before she reached it, she heard a sharp whistle and Captain flew off, circling around the men on the horse several times before flying up through the trees. She watched until they disappeared into the forest, leaning against her husband, “I’m sure we’ll see them again.”

Gabe nodded, “Of that, I have no doubts.”

* * *

Tony had been good for hours now. He had so many questions he wanted to ask James, but he’d held back all morning. Now though…they had stopped for the midday meal, both having some brown bread and jerky. That seemed to be their standard midday meal now and, thanks to Peggy, they had more than enough for at least the next week or so. They were both sitting on a log, Rosie grazing nearby, when Tony cleared his throat, “So…”

James rolled his eyes and looked at Tony from the corner of his eye, “Just ask.”

“Do you prefer ‘James’ or ‘Bucky’?” Tony asked first.

“James,” the other man replied immediately, hesitating before he continued, “‘Bucky’ is…that’s for Steve. Just for him.”

Tony nodded, “Alright.”

James let the silence wash over him. He was sure Tony was just trying to figure out how to ask his next question.

“Steve said you were part of Hydra’s Strike Teams, or, well, that you trained with them,” Tony began, but didn’t quite know how to finish.

Thankfully, James seemed to get the gist of it, “I was conscripted. I’d turned 19 the year of the takeover. Didn’t fight because I had to take care of my ma and younger sisters, but soon enough I was one of the first to be conscripted into Hydra. I worked my way up over the next 10 years. Wasn’t much else to do. I didn’t have proficiency in another field, so I became a soldier. I liked training with the men, though, teaching them. When I met Steve, I was the training Sergeant, had been for a couple years at that point.”

James was silent for a few moments before continuing, “When I first saw Steve, he was like the sun – so bright, a force of nature. He was doing his damndest to ignore Rumlow. Damn asshole always had it out for him. If I hadn’t hated him before, I would’ve just based on how he treated Stevie.”

A loud shriek from the sky made James look up. He grinned when he saw Captain circling overhead, keeping watch. He chuckled, “Steve always had his sketchbook with him, but I didn’t know what it was at first. When I found out he was an artist, I wanted to know how he saw the world. The day I first talked to him, I half expected him to turn me away, but he didn’t. I hated having to get back to training when I could’ve been talkin’ to him. Talkin’ to him was always the best part of my day. It didn’t hurt that he always turned the prettiest shade of pink when he was embarrassed or nervous. And at the beginning, he almost always was one or the other.”

Tony grinned at the affection in James’s voice. He could see both men cared for each other, so much. Tony couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been, must still be, to always be with each other, but never truly together. James’s grin softened before turning sad as he watched Captain fly away again, “I always thought it was part of Pierce’s punishment for Steve, him being a bird during the day. Steve was always meant for the daylight, for sunshine, but now…”

“What happened?” Tony asked, trying to keep his excitement to himself.

James just looked at him, brow raised, smirk on his lips, “You think I’m gonna tell you? Stevie’s already started the story, he’ll get there. I’m not skipping ahead. Stevie would have my head if he found out I’d gone and given it all away.”

Tony groaned and fell back against the grass, “Damn.”

James let out a bark of laughter before clearing up their mess, “Time to get back in the saddle. Lots of day left, we’ll see how far we can get.”

Tony groaned again.


	4. IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday! Here's another chapter! This is it for the chapters I already had completed. I have part of the next chapter written, and will, hopefully, be able to get some more writing done this weekend! 
> 
> Enjoy!

That night, after James and Tony set up camp along the edge of the forest again, James took out a bow and quiver full of arrows and went to hunt their supper. Captain stayed with Tony, to keep him company. Now that Tony knew Captain was _Steve_, he found himself talking to the hawk when he was close – telling him about his life, about his father’s disappearance and presumed death, about his work with the network. It was nice, cathartic, to be able to tell someone about what had happened and how he felt about it. By the time James returned with two fat pheasants, Tony was telling him about Hydra arresting him, “They kept asking about the man I helped escape. They wanted to know what he had with him, if he’d said where he was going, his name. I don’t ask questions when people ask for help, it’s better that way, but they kept at it almost the entire time they had me in the dungeons. It was the only thing they asked me about.”

James set up the pheasants over the fire and turned to him, “Any idea why?”

Tony jumped, surprised that someone responded to his stories, and shook his head, absently petting Captain’s head, “No, but at one point, they did start calling the man Erskine. Told me I’d get a pardon if I could give them any information about where Erskine was going.”

James froze, eyes going distant, “Erskine?”

“Yeah,” Tony said slowly, “That name mean anything to you?”

James was lost in his thoughts, or maybe memories? Tony didn’t know. He just knew that the name clearly meant something to the other man, “James? You alright?”

James shuddered and focused back on Tony, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Haven’t heard that name in a long time.”

Tony waited for him to say something, _anything_, else, but James didn’t continue – he just stared into the fire. Captain flew down and landed on his shoulder, nuzzling against his temple, occasionally grooming his hair. Soothing him. Tony turned away, wondering how James knew Erskine. Or knew the name, at least. Steve had said everything happened 30 years ago, so it’s possible James could know a different Erskine. He hadn’t gotten a look at the man, not really, so he couldn’t say if the man was old enough for him to have known _that_ Erskine or not. Tony shook himself. It was strange to think that way. 30 years. He wondered why neither man looked like it had been 30 years. From what James told him earlier, he should be around 60 years old at this point.

James interrupted his thoughts, “Supper’s ready.”

They ate in a comfortable silence, each lost in his own thoughts and unwilling to share them. This was probably the first evening that James hadn’t brought out his book. Tony took that to be a good thing. Maybe he was getting used to Tony. It was only when the sun sank lower that James stood, “I’m gonna get going. I’ll be in the forest tonight, so stay by the fire again.”

He was gone before Tony could respond.

“Sure, sounds great, pal,” Tony muttered under his breath as he waited for the sun to set completely.

The sounds of the forest changed at night, Tony realized, now that he was even more aware of what was out there. He heard a lone wolf howl and thought it was probably James. If not, he hoped James would keep it away. Sometime later – he wasn’t sure how long but the orange glow of the sun was gone – he heard twigs cracking and leaves rustling behind him. He turned around and tried to see in the shadows of the trees, “Steve? Is that you?”

Silence, then more cracking and crunching.

“Steve?” Tony asked, nervous now at the lack of response.

The shadow of a man came out of the trees and he recognized the sunshine blonde hair before the other man spoke, “Yeah, sorry Tony, wanted to be closer before I said anything so I didn’t draw anything toward camp.”

Tony sighed, “Yeah, that makes sense, I guess. Winter settle in alright?”

Steve beamed, pleased that Tony would ask after the wolf, “Yeah, he’s off to hunt now.”

Tony nodded and waited for Steve to settle closer to the fire. The smaller man held his hands near the flames, “It gets so cold in the forest at night. I’ve always been sensitive to the cold.”

“I’m glad we’re in a place big enough to make a fire,” Tony responded, “Otherwise, we’d probably have to share body heat, and that could get awkward.”

Steve giggled, shooting Tony a sly, mischievous glance, “You don’t wanna cuddle with me, Tony?”

Tony let out a bark of laughter, “Even if I did, I’m sure the thought of Winter would stop me.”

Steve laughed again, “He’d be happy to hear it. Though, he probably wouldn’t mind if we had to. He’d rather we keep warm.”

“If you say so,” Tony eyed him skeptically, “I’d rather not test that theory, though.”

Looking around, Steve gestured toward the remains of a pheasant still on the spit over the fire, “You mind if I eat that? I’m a bit hungry.”

“No, go ahead,” Tony told him emphatically, “You need more? We’ve got plenty of brown bread and jerky. Hard candy too.”

Steve had already taken a large bite of pheasant and just looked at Tony with wide eyes, making the other man laugh and reach into his bag, pulling out a hunk of bread and tossing it at the shorter man, “Here, let me know if you’re still hungry after that.”

They didn’t talk as Steve finished eating, letting out a pleased sigh as he laid back onto the grass when he had his fill, “Thanks, Tony. That was great.”

Tony watched him for a minute before asking, “Are you always hungry when you come back?”

Steve considered it before shaking his head, “Not always. Sometimes I eat plenty during the day, so I’m not very hungry when the sun goes down, but other times, the hunting is scarce, so I don’t get enough. I think the transformation takes at least some energy, too, so I try to eat a bit to replace what’s lost with that.”

“Can you tell me more of your story?” Tony asked, trying to hide his excitement at the thought of hearing more, but unable to prevent himself from asking. He’d waited patiently – or patiently enough – all day.

Steve laughed and nodded, “Yeah, alright. I think I remember where I left off.”

Tony scooted a bit closer and waited for Steve to begin. Making the smaller man laugh again, “Alright, alright. So, after the first time Bucky and I talked, we both were pulled away by work. He had his training and I wanted to get some more sketches of different rooms around the castle. I only saw him long enough the next day for him to tell me that he had to leave on a week long field training with his men. The day after that, I had my second sitting with Pierce. It went much better than the first one had, though, so I managed to get several good sketches to use for the painting. He wanted me to paint him sitting on his throne, staring into the distance.”

Tony snorted a laugh. Steve nodded, laughing with him, “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Well, really, I thought, wow, this guy really thinks a lot of himself, but close enough.”

Tony barked a laugh, “Yeah, he really does.”

Rolling his eyes Steve shook his head, “I don’t know why. Nothing I saw during my time there made me think anything…well, anything _good_ anyway.”

Tony shook his head, “Sounds like they haven’t changed much. I’ve never seen anything good come from Hydra.”

Steve tilted his head in contemplation, “I guess to him that was good. Hydra never really cared about helping people. Pierce always said they were doing things ‘for the good of mankind’. I overhead him a few times and it was just…well, I’ll get to that.”

Tony pouted, but Steve just patted his cheek and turned back to stare into the fire, “I’ll get there, just have patience, Tony.”

The other man sighed, “Fine.”

Steve shook his head, grinning at the other man before he continued, “The next week, I worked on my sketches. I wanted to make sure everything was perfect before I started working on the canvas. Pierce didn’t care where I worked on my sketches, only the paintings, so I usually went out to the training grounds and sat on my tree stump to work on them for a few hours each day.”

“Were you waiting for Bucky?” Tony asked, feeling more invested in their story than he probably should.

A sweet smile lifted Steve’s lips, “I didn’t really think about it at the time, but yeah, I was. The guys still around didn’t bother me, which was great. Rumlow and some of the others were on the field training with Bucky, so I was left alone mostly. The day they returned, though, I was actually in my studio. I’d finally gotten a drawing that was perfect for what Pierce wanted, so I worked on getting the outline on canvas. I locked myself in my studio for the next week and a half, only coming out for breakfast in the main hall, something Pierce insisted on even after I told him I was working on his portrait. He made sure to mention, at least once each meal, that I was hard at work, immortalizing him.”

“The guy definitely has an ego,” Tony grumbled, earning a bright smile from Steve, “Immortalizing him?”

Steve nodded, “He liked the old stories that said having your portrait painted captured part of your soul. He liked to think it meant he would be eternal.”

He grew silent again before a gentle smile, the same sweet smile he always had when he thought of Bucky, stretched his lips again, “I finished the outline quickly and had moved onto painting it. Having spent so much time working on the portrait, I was almost done but I needed a break, so I grabbed my sketchbook and a charcoal pencil and went down to the training grounds.”

* * *

** _THEN_ **

_Steve let out a relieved breath as he stretched his spine, grimacing at the cracks and creaks it let out. He looked at the almost finished painting in front of him. It was coming along well. He should be finished in the next week or so and ready to present to Pierce. He needed a break, though. He really shouldn’t sit for as long as he had, hunched over the painting. It wasn’t good for his back. Then again, Steve thought as he gathered his sketchbook and a charcoal pencil, tucking the latter behind his ear, when did he ever stop doing something just because it was bad for him? His ma would take him to task all the time when ignored the discomfort of his body to do something because he wanted to or because he thought it was right. He got into a lot of fights that way, too. He sighed, thinking about his mother. He hadn’t been able to visit yet, wanting to finish the first painting before taking advantage of his biweekly visitation, but he had sent letters to let her know how he was doing and that he would visit soon. Her return letters were full of news from her midwifery practice and how she was proud of him and looked forward to his visits._

_He made his way through the castle, giving a nod here and there to passing staff. He wondered if he should try talking to the others sometime. He grimaced. He hated making conversation like that, had never been very good at the perfunctory conversations full of meaningless chatter. He walked out on the training grounds, immediately heading to his stump._

_“Steve!”_

_He turned around, surprised. He tried to hide his grin when he saw Bucky waving grandly and jogging over. He dipped his chin, feeling his smile widen at the friendly, welcoming look on Bucky’s face._

_“Stevie!” Bucky stopped when he was right in front of him, grinning widely, “Haven’t seen you around for a while, was startin’ to think somethin’ was wrong.”_

_Steve grinned up at the other man, “No, was just busy, working on Pierce’s portrait.”_

_“Oh! You’re already working on painting, then?” Bucky asked, excited, gesturing for Steve to continue to his seat._

_Steve settled himself on the stump, making sure to leave plenty of space beside him for Bucky, “Yeah, ‘bout a week and a half now. I think I’ll finish this one in another week, maybe a little more to seal it?”_

_Bucky shifted so he was half sitting, half leaning next to Steve, but the light in his eyes dimmed, and he turned his face away. Even though the smile stayed, it now looked more…stiff and fake, “Wow, that’s…great…”_

_Steve looked up, disappointed at the lack of excitement from the other man, and he shrugged, “Yeah…”_

_“I just…” Bucky bit his lip, speaking hesitantly, “I thought you said you’d be here a year, but if you’re almost done…”_

_“Oh,” Steve breathed, feeling something shift inside him, feeling relieved, hopeful, “No, I mean, yes, I’m almost done with this one. There’s still eleven more to go.”_

_Bucky’s eyes lit up again and he turned back to look at Steve, “Oh! That’s great then! I’m glad you’ll still be around. I…like talkin’ with you.”_

_Steve shifted nervously side-to-side, turning away to hide his pleased smile and the slight pink tint to his cheeks, “Yeah, me too.”_

_They were both quiet for the next few minutes before Bucky cleared his throat, “I, er, well, I just wanted to see if you wanted to…do something…later. Get supper, maybe?”_

_Steve felt the blush deepen, heating his cheeks, “I…er…yeah, that’d be…great.”_

_Bucky ducked his head to catch Steve’s eyes, showing a hesitant grin, “Yeah? Really?”_

_Steve giggled, hiding it behind a hand, “Yeah. That’d be nice.”_

_“Great!” Bucky leapt up, unable to contain his excitement, making Steve laugh as he almost fell, “I mean, er, yeah, that’s great. Um…when…?”_

_Steve let out a loud laugh, looking around self consciously before responding, “Well, I’ll probably be in my studio the rest of the day, so maybe come find me when you want? I lose track of time, so that’s probably the best plan.”_

_Bucky nodded, still grinning, “Alright. Your studio. I’ll be there. Later.”_

_“Sarge!”_

_He grimaced, glancing over his shoulder at the man calling for him, then back at Steve, “Right. Back to work then.”_

_Steve snickered, “Yeah. I’m gonna sit here and draw a bit then get back to the painting.”_

_Bucky smiled gently then, “Alright. Let me know if you need somethin’. I’ll just be…over…there…”_

_“I will,” Steve promised, opening his sketchbook and making a show of getting started, but he was really watching Bucky walk away. There was a skip in his step now that hadn’t been there before and Steve smiled to himself. He knew he was probably playing with fire, but he couldn’t help himself. He knew Bucky wasn’t thinking about him the same way, but that didn’t stop him from feeling the way he did. He knew a lot of people thought being attracted to the same sex was wrong, but Steve had never thought loving anyone was wrong when both parties consented. His hands started moving across the page as he lost himself in his thoughts. He’d never seen how loving someone who was different, or the same in this instance, could be wrong. His ma had even told him that she wouldn’t care if he loved one woman, one man, ten men, no one, that he was still himself and that should be more than enough for anyone._

_He focused on his sketchbook and blushed at the realization that he’d just drawn Bucky again. He hoped no one looked through his sketches, because this book was filled with Bucky. He hadn’t been able to get the man out of his mind since he first saw him. He glanced up to see where he was now and saw him standing with the same group of men from weeks ago. Maybe he was assigned to these particular men? He didn’t know how it worked for the Strike Teams. He’d been trained in drawing and painting since he was a child, so conscription hadn’t been a concern. He had demonstrated his proficiency easily._

_Bucky looked up and their eyes met. Steve waved awkwardly and Bucky returned the gesture. The men around him all turned to see who he was waving to and Steve hid behind his sketchbook. He peeked over the top a minute later and saw they were all still looking at him. He groaned and waved again, making the group laugh. Bucky just grinned in return before turning back to the group. Steve spent the next hour drawing the different men in Bucky’s group, knowing this was the group he wanted to paint for the training grounds painting. Once he had a couple of sketches of each man, he closed the book and hopped down. He shot one more look to Bucky, but saw he was busy, so he just went back to his studio._

* * *

_Steve was so focused on the portrait that he didn’t hear the first knock on the door. He didn’t hear the second or third either. Neither did he hear when the door opened. He was finishing up a section of the painting and was pleased to be done with it. The damn throne. He let out a sigh and swirled his brush in a nearby jar filled with water, well paint water by now._

_“You at a good stopping point?”_

_Steve jumped, knocking over the water jar, and spun around, hand over his heart as he felt it beating erratically. Bucky was smiling at him, something like awe on his face. Steve took deep breaths, calming his breathing. When he felt he was ready, he walked over and slapped Bucky’s arm. The other man laughed and tried to ward off the next couple of slaps, grabbing one of the smaller man’s hands in his to stop him, “Ow, sorry, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. You were just so focused. You didn’t even hear me come in a while ago.”_

_Steve blushed, “Oh. I get…focused. I think I mentioned that before.”_

_“Yeah,” Bucky grinned, thumb rubbing the back of Steve’s captured hand, “I’m glad I got to see you in action. You were…somethin’ else. Focused and intense. I like seeing that part of you.”_

_Steve’s eyes widened in surprise, “Oh.”_

_Bucky just continued to smile at him and rub his thumb over Steve’s knuckles, “So, you ready to call it a day? Time for supper?”_

_“I just need to clean up,” Steve told him, gesturing absently at the space behind him, “You can sit down while I finish up here? There’s a bench…somewhere…”_

_Steve glanced around the room before gesturing toward a bench along one of the walls. Bucky laughed, nodding as he walked over and flopped down on the cushioned bench, looking around the room, “This looks like a decent set-up.”_

_Steve grabbed some rags and mopped up the spilled water and picked up the jar, moving to the open window and dumping the remaining paint water outside. There was a table in front of the window with several pitchers of water and more rags. He used one of the pitchers to fill the jar again and rinsed off the brushes he’d used that day, laying them out on a rag to dry before dumping the jar again. He turned back to Bucky, having forgotten he’d said something, “Sorry, what did you say?”_

_Bucky laughed, reclined on the bench, leaning against a couple pillows that had been there when he sat down, “I only said that it looks like a decent set-up here.”_

_Steve smiled broadly and nodded, “Yeah, Pierce made sure I’d have access to anything I’d need, and said to ask if I need anything else. It’s an artist’s dream, not only to have all these supplies, but this much space! It’s great.”_

_“I’m glad,” Bucky told him, standing when Steve stopped bustling around the room, “Was that everything, or is there more you need to do?”_

_“That was it,” Steve assured him, grabbing his sketchbook and ever present charcoal pencil, tucking the latter behind his ear, “Are we eating in the main hall?”_

_Bucky laughed, draping an arm around Steve’s shoulder, “Stevie, only special guests get to dine in the main hall. Us lowly soldiers have to eat in the mess hall in the barracks or find our own food, and generally the mess is horrible, so…”_

_“Oh,” Steve blushed, “Sorry, I didn’t realize…”_

_“It’s alright,” Bucky told him, squeezing him close against his side for a moment, “I figured you didn’t mean anything by it. I was thinking I’d take you into the City, to one of my favorite places. How’s that sound?”_

_Steve smiled cautiously up at him, “That sounds great. I’ve never been in the City long enough to see what’s around here for food.”_

_When they left the studio, Bucky removed his arm, but stayed close enough that their arms would brush against each other. He kept up a steady stream of conversation as they made their way back through the castle, asking about Steve’s work, his ma, anything and everything to learn more about the little painter. Bucky led him out through the training grounds rather then the main entrance, “It’s easier to go this way. Not as much attention here.”_

_As they made their way through the yard, Bucky talked about his work, his team. Steve was happy to listen to Bucky go on about his day. He seemed to truly enjoy the men he worked with, “We call ourselves the Howling Commandos, Stevie. It sounds way better than Strike Team One, right?”_

_He also told Steve about the men he didn’t like, “That Rumlow kid thinks he’s above everyone, it’s ridiculous. You’d think he would have more to back it up, but he’s just showing off half the time and doesn’t land the attack. He’s more about flash than substance. Seems to think he has a ‘special connection’ with Pierce, or something.”_

_They walked through the City, with Bucky pointing out places he liked to visit and Steve pointing out places he’d been when he’d been in the City, “I got beat up in that alley once…no, twice? That one too. Oh, Buck, the guy who beat me up in front of that store really had it comin’.”_

_Bucky laughed the first couple times, then he started to look concerned. By the time Bucky stopped, saying they’d arrive, he turned concerned eyes to Steve, frown line furrowing his brow, “Stevie, don’t take this the wrong way, but do you not know how to defend yourself?”_

_Steve shrugged, looking up at the taller man, wanting nothing more in that moment than to smooth out the wrinkle in his brow, “Not really. I mean, my dad died when I was just a kid, so there wasn’t any reason to teach me then. Ma’s a midwife, doesn’t know much about fighting either, but she always takes care of me after I get into a scrap.”_

_“This might be a new concept, but what about not fighting?” Bucky asked._

_“Buck,” Steve sighed with a small, sad laugh, “When you look like I do, train as a painter, and can’t stand bullies, there’s more than enough reasons for people to fight you. I just refused to back down. I won’t just stand by and watch if I can help someone.”_

_Bucky smiled down at him, hand lifting as if to brush over his hair, but he immediately lowered it, “Yeah, I can see that. You’re a punk, but always willing to stand up for the little guy, huh?”_

_“Buck,” Steve said, straight-faced, “I _am_ the little guy.”_

_Bucky laughed, then threw an arm around his shoulders again, leading him toward a building, “Yeah, but you don’t always seem like it. Got a big personality, as my ma would say.”_

_Steve straightened his shoulders, almost preening, “Sounds like my ma too.”_

_Bucky pushed open the door to whatever establishment he’d brought Steve to and they went in. Once through the door, Bucky dropped his arm again. The inside was dimly lit, making it seem private, but not too dark. There were booths lining a wall and tables scattered throughout the middle of the room. The wall opposite the booths held a bar, the back wall filled with bottles, and had a door that Steve thought must lead to the kitchens. There was also a set of stairs on the far wall. Steve wondered what was so special about this place that made it Bucky’s favorite. The hostess quickly bustled over. She was young, maybe a little older than they were, and her dark brown hair was pulled back into a tail, “What can I do for you this evening?”_

_Bucky leaned forward and said quietly, but firmly, “We’d like to see the band, if they’re playin’ tonight.”_

_The woman glanced at both men before nodding, “Follow me, I’ll take you to your table.”_

_Steve turned to Bucky, confused, “We’re here to see a band? I thought it was just dinner.”_

_Bucky chuckled softly, “Not exactly.”_

_They followed the woman through the main room and she led them up the stairs. Steve was still confused, but followed along. She brought them to an empty sitting room and walked to the fireplace. Steve watched, fascinated, as she pulled one of the bricks and the wall beside the fireplace swung open. Bucky grinned down at Steve, enjoying the look on his face, “Just wait. It gets better.”_

_The hostess gestured them through the doorway, tapping out an odd pattern on the bricks, “When you’re ready to leave, just tell Angie. Enjoy your evening.”_

_Bucky took Steve’s hand and led him through the doorway. They were at the top of a spiral staircase. Bucky grinned back at him as he led them down. Steve realized the staircase was taller than the one they’d come up, “Buck, are we going under the pub?”_

_Bucky nodded as he continued to lead Steve down, still holding his hand, “Yep.”_

_When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Steve started to worry. There was an empty brick wall in front of them, “Um…Buck…”_

_Bucky reached out with the hand not holding one of Steve’s and tapped the bricks, the same rhythm the hostess had before. The wall swung open, same as the one upstairs had done. A woman wearing men’s trousers and a tunic greeted them happily, “Come on in, boys.”_

_When they went in, Steve was caught off guard. He missed the conversation between Bucky and this new hostess because he was looking around the room. Tables and booths were filled with couples. Steve’s eyes widened as he took in the different groups he could see around the room – men with men, women with women, dark skinned with light skinned, even multiple partners. This is how it should be everywhere, Steve thought, a wide grin blooming. He felt a tug on his hand and looked up at Bucky. The taller man was looking at him with a soft smile, “Alright?”_

_Steve nodded quickly, several times, tears in his eyes, “Yeah, better than alright. This is perfect.”_

_Bucky grinned sunnily at him and tugged him forward as they followed the hostess. She introduced herself as Angie and led them to a corner booth close to the front of the room, “We got a house band that’ll be on soon, just a coupla guys who like ta play, but they’re pretty good, if I do say so myself. You boys need anything else?”_

_“Can we get some ale?” Bucky asked, “And what’s for supper?”_

_“We got a rabbit stew and some fresh bread tonight,” Angie told him, grinning, “You want a coupla bowls? It’s really good.”_

_Bucky glanced at Steve, raising a brow. Steve smiled and turned to Angie, nodding, “Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”_

_She walked away with a promise to return with their drinks and supper soon. Bucky released Steve’s hand and gestured for him to slide into the booth, following closely after. They sat close together at the back of the booth. Steve looked up at Bucky and saw he was watching him, biting his lip. Steve had learned quickly that biting his lip was a nervous habit of Bucky’s, so he reassured him, “This place seems great.”_

_Bucky let out a relieved sigh and grinned, “Yeah, I wasn’t sure, at first, if you…well…if you were…”_

_“Yeah,” Steve interrupted, resting his hands on the table, twisting his fingers together, “Same for me, but I didn’t think you’d…I wasn’t sure if you were interested the way I was.”_

_“You’re gorgeous, Stevie,” Bucky said quietly, reaching over to put one of his hands over both of Steve’s, “And sweet and funny. Of course I was. Am. Interested, that is.”_

_Steve beamed up at him, twisting a hand so he could twine his fingers between Bucky’s, “Is this okay?”_

_Bucky brought their joined hands up and pressed his lips to Steve’s knuckles, “Better than okay. Perfect.”_

_They just sat, enjoying being close to each other and knowing that the other was interested the same way. They talked quietly. Bucky told him that he was friends with the owner of this place, that he had grown up near Howard, but the other man had a proficiency in engineering, among other things, so he hadn’t been conscripted with Bucky. He’d gone on to open this place, a place where people could be free to be who they wanted to be. Steve leaned into Bucky’s side, letting his weight rest against the other man. This was the first time he could openly do this. He knew right away that they would keep coming here. Bucky draped an arm around the smaller man’s shoulders to hug him to his side, pressing his cheek to his hair._

_Angie came back with a tray holding their supper and ale, a grin on her face as she took in their positions, “Here you go, supper and ale. You just holler if you need anything else.”_

_Bucky moved his arm, but kept Steve’s hand in his, knowing they’d both rather eat one handed and still have some contact than not. Angie grinned down at them and winked, before walking away, calling back to them, “And, I hope you don’t mind me sayin’, but you two are about the sweetest thing I’ve seen in ages.”_

_It was late when they finished eating and drinking, but Steve didn’t want to leave. He knew as soon as they left that they would have to go back, would have to hide, and he didn’t know if he could do it. Steve bit his lip as he worried over the issue. Bucky tilted his head up with a finger under his chin, making sure to meet Steve’s eyes, “You alright?”_

_Steve started to nod, but ended up shaking his head, “I wish we could just stay here.”_

_Bucky smiled sweetly at him, “Me too.”_

_Steve tilted his head back and leaned up, pressing his lips softly to Bucky’s cheek, “But we’ll come back, right?”_

_“Whenever you want,” Bucky reassured him, turning to press his own lips to Steve’s forehead, “but we should go for tonight. Can’t keep you out too long. We should be able to get back without any problems through the training grounds, but we should still be careful. Don’t want the wrong people askin’ where we’ve been.”_

_Steve sighed, but nodded, “Alright.”_

_Bucky had to let go of Steve’s hand as he stood, but quickly picked it up again and led him back through the room, to the bar where Angie was. He handed over a handful of coins, telling her to keep the extra, and let her know they were ready to leave. She took them to another wall and pushed a brick. Steve would never cease to be amazed by these entrances. She gestured them through, “That’ll take you back up to one of the other rooms. You’ll wanna pull the lamp at the top, it’ll open the door. We’ll see you again soon.”_

_Steve followed again as Bucky led them up another tall, spiral staircase. Following her instructions, Bucky pulled the lamp at the top, the door in the wall opening out. The room they let out in appeared to be a storage room. There were shelves all throughout the room with different provisions on them. Bucky dropped Steve’s hand and closed the wall behind them before leading them to the door._

_“That door and this one both stay locked at all times. The one we just came out only opens from the inside. This one has a key that can open it from the outside, but the only one with the key is the house manager, Jarvis. He’s loyal to Howard and supports those who come here. Otherwise, it only opens from this side,” Bucky explained, opening the door slowly._

_“I hope you enjoyed your visit.”_

_Steve jumped at the voice and spun around. They were in an office, Steve realized. A man was behind the desk, looking up at them from the stack of papers in front of him._

_“Jarvis,” Bucky greeted warmly, “It was great, as always.”_

_The other man, older from the look of him, probably closer to his father’s age were he still alive, smiled, “Wonderful. Mr. Stark would hate to hear it had gone downhill.”_

_“You can tell him it’s still going strong,” Bucky assured him, clasping a hand lightly on Steve’s shoulder, “This is Steve. He’s working at the castle, some commission work for Pierce. Was his first time visiting.”_

_Jarvis stood, holding a hand out, greeting Steve with a welcoming smile, “Steve. A pleasure. What type of work do you do?”_

_Steve shook the other man’s hand and returned the smile, “I’m a painter. Pierce commissioned me for a series of paintings to display in the main hall of the castle, maybe the barracks, he wasn’t sure last we talked about it.”_

_“I’d love to see your work. Mr. Stark has expressed interest in some artwork for downstairs,” Jarvis explained, “Maybe a piece or two for the main floor as well.”_

_Steve’s eyes widened in surprise, “That…I’d love that. Maybe when I’m finished at the castle, we can talk more? I’m exclusive with Pierce for the duration, but I’d love to do something for Mr. Stark.”_

_Jarvis smiled again, “That would be wonderful.”_

_“Steve,” Bucky interrupted before they could continue, “We really should be getting back.”_

_Steve looked up at him and nodded, glancing back at Jarvis, “It was nice to meet you, Jarvis.”_

_“You as well,” Jarvis returned, sitting back behind his desk, “And you, James. It’s always a pleasure.”_

_Bucky waved, ushering Steve out the office door, “Ready?”_

_They made their way back through the pub, wishing the main floor’s hostess a lovely night, and walked back to the castle. The night was cool, heralding the change from summer to autumn. Neither man spoke as they walked. It was a comfortable silence, each keeping the joy of the night in their minds. When they reached the gate to the training grounds, Bucky called up to the soldier on duty, “Sergeant Barnes returning.”_

_The soldier on duty stepped forward, “Out late, Sarge.”_

_He started to turn the wheel to open the gate. Once it was open enough, Bucky gestured for Steve to duck under first, following him quickly. The gate fell shut behind them. Bucky shook hands with the man on duty, “Morita. Good to see you’re not asleep on your feet after today’s training.”_

_The other man grinned, barely lit by the torches in the yard, “Don’t wear out that easily, Sarge.”_

_Bucky laughed, clapping a hand on his shoulder once before gesturing toward Steve, “This is my buddy, Steve.”_

_Morita looked the shorter man over, “You’re the little painter Pierce commissioned.”_

_Steve nodded with a sigh, knowing he was always going to be referred to as “the little painter”, “Yeah, that’s me.”_

_“Seen you in the yard before,” Morita looked from Steve to Bucky and back again, an almost knowing look on his face, “Sarge likes when you’re around, so you must be an alright sort.”_

_Steve blushed, glad that it was too dark for anyone else to notice, “Er, thanks.”_

_“We’ve gotta get goin’,” Bucky told the other man, one hand moving to the small of Steve’s back to guide him forward, “I’ll see you tomorrow. We’ve got early drills.”_

_“Have a good night, Sarge,” Morita told him before turning back to his watch._

_Steve had seen the man’s eyes linger on Bucky’s hand, where it rested against Steve’s back, but he hadn’t said anything. That was good, right? Maybe it was normal? And the look he’d given them…like he knew what was going on. Bucky moved his hand almost immediately after Morita turned away. He muttered curses under his breath. Steve raised a brow, “What? What’s wrong?”_

_“I’m a damned idiot,” Bucky told him quietly._

_Steve huffed a laugh, whispering gently, “But you’re my idiot.”_

_Bucky laughed silently as they made their way into the castle, “I’ll walk you to your room.”_

_“You don’t have to,” Steve told him, but appreciated the offer._

_“’Course I don’t,” Bucky responded, grinning down at him, “But I wanna.”_

_Steve returned the grin and led the way to his wing, glancing at Bucky out the side of his eye, “So…James? James Barnes?”_

_Bucky shrugged, running a hand along the back of his neck, “Yeah.”_

_“Where’s ‘Bucky’ come from?”_

_Laughing, Bucky bumped his shoulder against Steve’s, “Full name is James Buchanan Barnes. Was named after my ma’s brother and their father. My youngest sister, Charlotte, decided she didn’t like the name James, but couldn’t pronounce Buchanan, so she shorted it to Bucky. I think she was three at the time, but it stuck.”_

_Steve chuckled softly, “I never had a sister, or a brother. It’s just been me and my ma for a long time.”_

_“What’s your family name?” Bucky asked._

_“Rogers,” Steve replied, “It’s actually Steven. Steven Grant Rogers. Never liked being called Steven. Always reminds me of my ma yelling for me when I was in trouble.”_

_“Got tired of hearing it?” Bucky teased, “I bet you were in trouble all the time.”_

_Steve grumbled, “Not my fault. People are horrible, Buck.”_

_Bucky barked out a laugh before covering his mouth with his hand to muffle the sound, “You’re not wrong, I ‘spose.”_

_Steve lifted an arm to gesture at the door next to him, “This is me.”_

_Bucky glanced around quickly before leaning down and pressing a kiss to Steve’s cheek, “I had a good time, Steven Grant Rogers. We’ll go again soon. I’ll see you in the yard tomorrow?”_

_Steve grinned up at him brightly and nodded, “I’ll need a break from painting at some point, so I’ll come out and work on some more sketches. Sleep well, James Buchanan Barnes.”_

_Steve watched Bucky walk away and reached up to touch the spot on his cheek Bucky had kissed, then let out a small, quiet giggle. He felt giddy after their night out and being able to be free with his affection. He unlocked his door and let himself in, locking it immediately behind him. There was already a fire in the fireplace, making the room pleasantly toasty against the cool air outside. He stripped and crawled into bed. He had a brief thought that the entire night had to be a dream, but then he decided he’d never want to wake up if that were true. He touched the spot on his cheek again and then touched his lips. Soon. Maybe._


	5. V

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Saturday! I had a lovely morning revising this chapter so I could get it out to you folks! I have another couple chapters written too, so I'm hoping the long weekend will give me a chance to revise and get out at least one more chapter, so keep an eye out! 
> 
> I've figured out a process that seems to work well with writing, revising, and posting. I don't really have the time to work on anything new during the week, so revising the most recent written chapters that haven't been posted helps me get back into the story and where I left off the weekend before and lets me make edits and post each chapter as I finish revising them. Then I can write new things and repeat the following weekend! I'd likely to be able to post 1-2 chapters each weekend this way.
> 
> This has really helped me get back into this story, which is great, so thanks to everyone reading! When I eventually finish this story, I might try the same process with some of the other unfinished fics I have from my writing binges. Stay tuned for more info as it comes along!
> 
> Thanks again for reading, and enjoy the chapter!

When Tony woke the next morning, he couldn’t remember the last thing he heard Steve say. He sat up and looked around. The blankets next to his were empty and the sun rise was already casting a golden glow over the world. He heard rustling from the forest, “You knew my dad. Really knew him.”

The rustling stopped. Tony continued, “I mean, I know you said you did, but I thought maybe it was like a passing acquaintance sort of thing, but Steve said he ran the pub you’d go to. That you grew up together. It was 30 years ago, so I was kid. Did you know me too?”

The approach continued, but the other man didn’t speak. Tony felt anger rise, “I want answers. What’s wrong with you this morning? Why aren’t you answering me?”

He turned around, then yelped in surprise. There was a man – not James – staring at him from the tree line. Tony jumped to his feet, grabbing James’s sword from near Rosie and holding it out in front of himself, “Who are you? What do you want?”

The man took a step forward, into the light and Tony realized he was much younger than he’d initially thought. The man was really a _boy_. He looked to be about 15, maybe 16 years of age. He was dressed in rags and his skin was almost sickly pale. Tony lowered the sword a bit, “Kid, you alright?”

The boy took another step forward, voice hoarse, but higher in pitch than a man’s would have been, and stuttering, “I’m s-sorry, b-but c-c-c-c-can you sp-spare any f-food or w-water?”

Tony dropped the sword and reached for the kid when it looked like he was about to fall over, “Whoa, it’s okay, you’re alright. I’ve got you.”

Then the kid twisted and suddenly there was a knife at Tony’s throat, “Er…”

The kid looked at him, apologetic, “Sorry, sir. If you promise to just stand aside and let us take your stuff, I won’t have to hurt you.”

“Seriously?” Tony asked, genuinely curious about what the boy would do.

“I don’t wanna hurt you if I don’t have to,” the kid told him, then mumbled lowly, but loud enough that Tony heard him, “Told them I didn’t wanna do it. I hate this…”

The kid shook himself and, and Tony a bit, then said, “Promise you won’t attack if I let you go?”

“That’s not really how it works,” Tony heard James’s voice come from just inside the tree line.

The kid jumped, making Tony yelp when the knife bit into his neck enough to draw blood. The kid dropped his knife and started to apologize, “I’m so sorry, sir, I didn’t mean to do that, your friend just scared me!”

Tony stared at the kid in confusion. He had to be the worst bandit Tony had ever seen. There was a loud groan from nearby in the forest. A man of average height and light brown hair soon stepped out from the tree line, followed by a woman covered in green body paint with dark red hair, the largest man Tony had ever seen, and a raccoon. And, for some reason, the large man was holding a potted sapling. The large man had no hair, wore only brown trousers, and was covered in thick ceremonial or tribal scarring. The first man, the most normal of them all, grinned charmingly at him, “Sorry about that. It’s his first day out with us. He’ll get better, just needs some on the job training.”

Tony glanced at James. The other man’s expression was dead, eyes tracking every movement the newcomers made. He had no weapons in hand, which concerned Tony. He wasn’t sure if James would actually step in or not. He briefly wondered what happened to the Bucky Steve talked about, remembering how he seemed almost carefree in those stories. Then again, he somehow became a wolf at night and seemed to be ageless, so there were bigger concerns here. Tony mentally shook himself and turned back to the newcomers, “Er, that’s okay. I think it’s good that he’s worried about hurting people?”

The man’s charming smile turned almost too sharp then, “Nah, it’s part of the job, right?”

The green woman stepped up to stand beside the man, pulling a sword from her spine sheath, “As the boy said, though, we won’t harm you if you just step aside. No one has to get hurt here.”

The large man smiled at them, almost childlike, as he reached down to pet the raccoon, cradling the sapling even closer. Tony blinked, still not sure quite what to make of this group. The kid stepped back to stand on the other side of the almost normal man, “Come on, sir, it’s just stuff.”

A harsh growl seemed to pour out of James’s throat, “You want my stuff, you’ll have to kill me for it.”

Tony closed his eyes for a second and turned back to the…bandits? He figured he could try to reason with them, “Look, he’s been through…a lot, can’t you just…find someone else to rob?”

The normal man laughed, which set of laughter from the green woman and large man as well. The kid just grinned sheepishly. When the man stopped laughing, he shook his head, “Why would we do that? We’re the Guardians of the Forest, and you’re trespassing. We’re just taking our toll.”

Tony narrowed his eyes, “Guardians of the Forest?”

The other man’s eyes lit up with excitement, “You’ve heard of us?”

“No,” James told him, straight faced and the man’s face fell in disappointment.

Tony covered his face with his hand for a second to hide the giggle that wanted to escape at the look on the man’s face then turned his attention to the odd group again, “We actually do have a right to be here.”

“What right do men like you have to trespass in the forest? All your kind do is tear it down for their own use, destroying the lives and homes inside it,” The green woman spat, baring her teeth in a snarl, raising her sword at James, somehow knowing he was the bigger threat, and stepping closer to him.

A loud shriek announced his arrival as Captain dived down and clawed her hand until she released her sword. She let out a shriek of her own at the attack, trying to protect her face from Captain’s claws. James took that moment of distraction to release several knives, too quickly for Tony to track, but he heard the kid cry out. He turned to look and saw that he had been pinned by his tunic and trousers to the tree behind him. Tony moved forward and picked up the sword he’d dropped before when he went to help the kid, holding it in the general direction of the large man, who just started to hum softly to himself before sitting down to more easily pet the raccoon, tuning out the violence that erupted around him. When Tony turned back around, he saw James leap at the other man, who had drawn a hand crossbow and aimed it at Captain. He grimaced when he considered how close the hawk was to the green woman, wondering if the man would have actually taken the shot. It could have hit Captain, but more than likely would have hit the woman as well. James was straddling the other man, metal hand clasped around his throat, teeth bared in a feral snarl. The green woman managed to draw a knife and swiped at Captain. The hawk let out several screeches before pulling back to fly overhead. Tony moved forward, using the woman’s distraction with the bird to smack her hand with the flat side of his sword, knocking the knife out of her grip, before holding the sword tip to her throat.

“Don’t kill him! You’re gonna kill him! Stop!” He heard the kid yell, but couldn’t afford to take his eyes off the green woman. She seemed the most lethal of them. Considering the group, it wasn’t really saying much, but she _did_ seem like an actual threat. He met the woman’s eyes before hers flickered over to the man under James. The skin around her eyes twitched. He looked closer and saw concern reflected in her eyes.

“I can stop my friend from killing yours, but only if you don’t attack me when I lower my sword,” Tony told her, hoping she’d be reasonable about this situation. He didn’t want James to kill the man either, but she didn’t know that.

He heard Captain shriek from behind him. The green woman narrowed her eyes on the bird, “It seems your bird friend will not let me even if I wanted to.”

Tony nodded, but gestured with his sword that she should move over toward the others. When she turned away, he reached out quickly and brought the hilt down on her head, hard. She dropped immediately and he felt a little guilty, but then reassured himself that _they_ were the ones to attack _them_. He heard the kid cry out again, but ignored him in favor of going to James. The Guardian man’s eyes were wide and bloodshot and he tried to drag in a breath, but he couldn’t with how tight James’s metal hand was wrapped around his throat. His hands were scrabbling at the metal, but couldn’t budge it. As soon as Tony had knocked the green woman unconscious, Captain had flown over and landed on James’s metal shoulder. He nuzzled his head against James’s and started grooming him, trying to calm the man down. When Tony reached James, he knelt down beside him, leaning down to meet his eyes, “Come on, it’s alright. Captain’s fine. See? I’m fine, we’re all fine. Except for the man you’re choking. He won’t be fine for much longer if you keep that up.”

James didn’t release the man immediately, but he did loosen his grip enough for the other man to draw in a ragged breath. Captain chirped softly at James, still grooming him, and Tony spoke again, “That’s it, everything’s alright. If you let him go, he’ll owe you a debt. Kind of like how _I _owe you for saving _me_. And probably for taking me to my father. I guess I just owe you a lot, really, but the principle stands.”

James’s fingers slowly released and the man under him sucked in several deep breaths rapidly, his lungs trying to make up for their previous lack of air. Tony looked around. The kid was crying, pinned against the tree, but the large man was next to him, running a hand up and down his arm, as if he were petting the kid, to calm him. The raccoon was at the kid’s feet, curled up, and the sapling was still protectively cradled to the large man’s chest. James was still staring down at the man, face now blank. Captain shrieked again and ducked his head to rub against James’s cheek. Tony saw the shudder run through him as he seemed to come back to himself. James tilted his head to return the affection, “Thanks, Cap.”

Tony huffed, “I literally stopped you from murdering a man, James. He’s just cuddling you.”

Captain let out several screeches that sounded like he was laughing at him, but Tony ignored it. James gave him a bashful smile, “I guess you did. Thanks. Sometimes I just…”

“I get it,” Tony told him when he trailed off, “I saw him going for the bow too.”

Tony turned back to look at the formerly choking man still under James and snorted, “Some Guardian of the Forest you are.”

The man sputtered, “What? I am! That bird was attacking one of us!”

“Ever think that _you’re _the ones trespassing?” James asked, brow arched, reaching up to pet Captain.

The large man let out a surprised noise and Tony looked over, seeing tears in his eyes as he looked down at the sapling and raccoon. Then the large man spoke, “Drax protect. Drax not hurt.”

The kid was still wiggling, trying to get loose, but then he turned to look at the man next to him, “That’s right, Drax. You’re a good protector of the forest. We know you don’t hurt anyone. We’re here to help, not hurt.”

Both the kid and Drax turned pleading eyes to the man on the ground, who let out a loud groan, “Alright, fine. We won’t do this anymore. Happy?”

The kid let out a quiet cheer, “Hear that, Drax?”

“Drax happy,” the large man grinned and started to pet the raccoon again.

“Me too,” the kid said, “I don’t think I’m very good at robbing people.”

“Can you let me up now?” The man asked, rolling his eyes.

James gave Tony a questioning look and Tony shrugged before looking back at the man, “What do we call you? And the rest of them? We know Drax now.”

Drax looked up and gave a cheery wave. The kid did as well, “I’m Peter Parker.”

The man on the ground groaned again, “We’ve had this talk, kid. You can’t just give out your real name to anyone who asks.”

The kid looked confused, “But they know Drax’s real name.”

“I give up,” the man muttered before looking back at Tony, “You can call me Star-Lord.”

“Quill,” the green woman groaned, shifting on the ground, trying to sit up, “No one will ever call you Star-Lord, so stop trying.”

Tony turned to look at the green woman, moving to help her, grimacing, “Sorry about that, but I couldn’t let you hurt the bird, or the man for that matter.”

She gave him a weak smile, “I understand. You may call me Gamora. The idiot is Peter Quill.”

Tony laughed, Quill giving another long suffering groan, and helped Gamora to her feet, steadying her as he led her over to the others. She reached over and removed the knives from the kids clothing, tossing them toward James, an impressed look on her face. James finally stood, moving next to Tony. They watched as the older Peter grumbled and groaned, standing before walking back to his group. James started moving around the camp, packing their things away, ignoring the Guardians as he worked. Tony shrugged and followed suit, pulling out some hard candy and brown bread, sharing with James before packing the rest away again. The Guardians of the Forest were watching the men move around the camp, surprised that the hawk never left James’s shoulder. When they were finished, the two men returned to the Guardians, who were talking amongst themselves again.

“We should be on our way,” James told them, “We’ve already wasted enough daylight with this.”

Quill stepped forward, clearing his throat, “We would be…pleased…if you would allow us to travel with you. Through the forest.”

“We usually travel the plains alongside the forest,” James explained, “The forest is harder on Rosie.”

Gamora stepped forward, “I can lead you to a forest path that would make her travel easier, and the journey may be faster through the forest. As thanks for making Quill see sense. None of us wanted to become bandits, this idiot refused to listen, thinking it would help deter travelers from moving through the forests. What is your destination?”

James looked at Captain, not speaking for several moments until Captain lets out a shriek, “Yes, alright. Our destination is the border city of Genosha.”

Drax looked up at that and grinned widely, “Drax from Genosha.”

James smiled warmly at him, “Then I’m sure you understand the importance.”

Drax nodded solemnly, “Drax understands.”

“There is a path that leads almost directly to Genosha,” Gamora nodded, offering a slight smile, “It should take a week from here, on foot. You would still need to cross the plains, but it would only be hours in the open rather than days.”

Tony grinned, “That saves us a few days, right James? And having the cover of the forest would be good.”

“Yeah,” James nodded, giving Gamora a small, stilted smile of his own, “We would appreciate the assistance.”

“Don’t you need to say something about the weather?” The kid asked suddenly, “Something about it being hot or cold? Isn’t that how it works? I didn’t think we were just supposed to offer.”

Tony stared at the kid, then at the older Peter, who had groaned again. It seemed like a common enough occurrence with the kid. Tony stifled a laugh and said, hesitantly, “I’m not sure how much the east wind is blowing this far from the City.”

“That’s it!” Peter cheered, “The east wind!”

Quill looked at Tony in surprise, “You know…”

“I am very familiar with regular weather reports,” Tony told him dryly.

“You know our names,” Gamora cut in, eyes narrowed in suspicion, “but we do not know yours. What are we to call you?”

“I’m Tony, this is James,” Tony gestured to each of them.

Quills eyes widened, “Tony…are you Tony Stark?”

The kid turned wide eyes to Tony as well, “No way! I’ve heard so much about you, you’ve helped so many people! And your inventions! They’re amazing!”

Gamora covered the kids mouth with her hand, knowing he would go on for longer than anyone cared to hear, “I, too, have heard great things about you, Tony Stark.”

Tony looked away, “Er, yeah, that’s me. Thanks. How did you know I was Tony Stark?

Quill scoffed, “There’s only one Tony that anyone in the network has heard of. You could’ve been some other Tony, sure, but it was worth a guess.”

Tony nodded, “Right…anyway…”

James gestured toward the hawk and spoke before Tony could say anything else, “This is Captain.”

“A worthy title for such a faithful defender,” Gamora nodded in approval, holding her hand out in the bird’s direction. He seemed to consider it before tilting his head down and letting her run a finger down his neck. She gave a small smile and gave him a few more strokes before stepping back, “I’m honored.”

“We should be on our way,” James told them, turning to Captain, “Fly ahead? We’re going through the forest this time, though, so check in more often. You may be able to see enough through the trees, but I’m a lowly human and can’t keep track of you unless you stop in.”

Captain gave a shriek of agreement and flew off, above the trees. James grabbed Rosie’s lead and guided her into the forest, the Guardians walking ahead of them. Young Peter darted back to walk beside Tony, asking him question after question about his inventions and experiments. Even Tony tired of it quickly and he _loved_ to talk about his work. It wasn’t long before they exited the trees onto a path wide enough for a wagon. Not a very well-worn path, but smooth enough that Rosie wouldn’t be troubled by it as she had been for the trek through the trees. Tony enjoyed having more company, but wondered how they would be when the sun set that evening. He wouldn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the safety of Steve or James, who he had come to think of as friends. Would Steve even talk to him with all these new people around? Tony sighed, hoping the smaller man would continue his story. He wanted to help, but he also was enjoying the tale Steve was telling. He wondered if the newcomers might even be able to help. He’d have to talk to Steve about it later.

* * *

James was quiet the rest of the day. He walked toward the front of the group, guiding Rosie along, with Gamora beside him. She was also quiet on the journey, so seemed to be a good traveling companion for James. The kid, Peter, had stopped asking Tony about his work by the time the noontime meal came. The kid walked with Drax after that, chattering on about anything and everything, which seemed to please the large man. Drax continued to carry the sapling, which they quickly discovered was named Groot, and pet the raccoon, named Rocket. Peter Quill still eyed Tony and James skeptically, but had stopped questioning their reasons for going to Genosha. Tony was still concerned over the quick change that had come over James when he thought the Guardians were a threat to them. He had been so…cold. Dispassionate. Would Steve know? He didn’t want to ask James about it, because…well, it would be rude? But maybe he would ask Steve when they stopped for the night, see if it was something that had happened before.

As it got closer to sunset, Tony got nervous about what they would tell the Guardians. He tried to ask James, but the other man had just shrugged him off and talked quietly to Captain who, as requested, had checked in more frequently with them as they made their way through the forest. Being in the forest, the light was different, so another concern was knowing _when_ to stop for the day. He needn’t have worried, it seems, as James stopped as soon as the light changed to that almost golden twilight glow, which looked even more enchanting in the forest as it created an almost dappled pattern with the light and shadows.

“We should set up camp now,” James announced as he began to dig through Rosie’s saddlebags.

The Guardians exchanged confused glances, but it was Quill who spoke, “Uh, why are we stopping? There’s still plenty of light left before we really need to stop.”

James shot him a narrow-eyed glare, “We stop because I say we stop. There’s enough light to set up camp and hunt dinner, but not much more. And why continue on in uncertainty when there’s a large enough clearing _here_ for us to set up a fire as well?”

Quill snapped his mouth shut, but Tony saw the still confused glances the rest of the Guardians gave each other as they unloaded their bed rolls and such. James shot Tony a look that he didn’t want to admit took him a moment to understand before announcing to the group, “I’m going to hunt some supper.”

They watched as he wandered into the trees, bow and quiver with him. A somewhat distant shriek let them know that Captain must have found him again as well. Quill walked over to Tony, who was setting up a fire pit, and asked, “What’s up with him?”

Tony sighed, “We’ve been traveling together for long enough now that I stopped asking questions. I happen to agree with him, though. We should stop while there’s enough light to actually set up camp and find something for supper. We’ve always made sure we have more than enough time in case the game are scarce.”

Gamora nodded, “Yes, James has been traveling for a great many years that he knows what he’s doing.”

Tony gave her a questioning look but she just raised a brow and continued setting up her bedding for the night. Peter scampered closer, “He has? How long has he been traveling?”

Gamora smiled softly at the kid, “That is not my story to tell.”

Tony walked over to her and asked quietly, “What do you know?”

“What do _you_ know?” She returned with a smirk as she continued her work.

Tony glared down at her, “More than you.”

She nodded once as she finished up, “Yes, I do not doubt that. If what I believe is true, you have been traveling with a legend, and that is all I will say for now.”

Tony watched as she walked away, moving away to help Quill, who seemed to be having a lot of trouble setting up his own things. He walked back over to the fire pit and got the fire started, thinking on what Gamora had said, and prepared some branches to cook whatever James brought back with him.

He was getting nervous when James didn’t return as it continued to get darker. It passed the point when James usually left to transform and Tony didn’t know what to do. Had James decided to just leave them? Leave _him_? It was as he started to consider why James would have left him that he heard branches cracking and leaves crunching. He turned toward the sounds, but so did the others, as Steve walked into the camp. Gamora immediately unsheathed her sword and took a fighting stance as Quill pulled out two knives, holding one in each hand, almost mirroring her stance.

Steve blinked at the group, holding three rabbits tied together in one hand, surprised to see so many people in the camp, “Oh!”

Tony rushed toward him, standing in front of him as he faced the Guardians, “Don’t! He’s with us!”

Peter’s scowl turned to a grin, “Oh good! More of us! Hi, I’m Peter Parker.”

“Kid,” Quill groaned, “You don’t even know him.”

“That’s why I introduced myself,” Peter told him, matter-of-factly, frowning at Quill. Drax waved from his spot with Rocket and Groot, making the older Peter shake his head.

“Who are you?” Gamora demanded, “And where did you come from?”

Steve peered around Tony, patting Tony’s shoulder with his empty hand, “It’s okay, Tony. I didn’t remember them until now, but it’s okay. We’re all going the same place, and they’re working with us. Bucky just left it to me to tell them. The jerk.”

Tony glanced down at Steve, a smirk quirking his lips at the last part, “Are you sure? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Steve smiled sweetly up at him, “Thank you, Tony, but it’s okay. Bucky had to trust them to an extent to be willing to travel with them anyway, so I know he’s okay with telling them at least some of it. He trusts me to know what to tell them, and if it’s more than he wanted, too bad. He should have told them himself if he cares that much.”

Tony let Steve move around him, to stand beside him. The smaller man smiled at the Guardians, “Thank you for your help, and for showing us this path. It’ll make the journey to Genosha much faster. I’m Steve.”

“Who _are _you? Your name means nothing,” Gamora demanded again, “We did not help _you_. We helped Tony and James.”

“I’ve been traveling with James for…a long time,” Steve told them, staring into the distance, “A really long time.”

“They switch out who keeps watch from a distance,” Tony told them quickly, using the excuse Steve had given to the couple, Gabe and Peggy.

Steve shook his head and rested a hand on Tony’s arm, “Tony…”

Tony blinked, confused at first, but then understood why Steve had stopped him from saying more, “Steve, you can’t mean…you’re going to just _tell_ them?”

Steve nodded, smiling gently, “Yes. I don’t see any reason not to if we’re to be traveling together. And, if I’m not mistaken, we have a Genoshan citizen with us, so he would know some of it anyway.”

Everyone turned to Drax and Steve smiled at the large man, “Isn’t that right?”

Drax nodded, “Drax knows. Drax family help.”

Steve’s smile turned sad, “Yes, and we thank you, and them, for it. I’m so sorry they were lost.”

Drax just returned the sad smile before he started humming to himself and his friends. The other Guardians turned back to Steve, silently questioning what he knew about Drax, but the shorter man just moved toward the fire, “We should get these going if we’re going to have supper any time soon.”

Peter skipped over and sat beside him, “I’ll help you prepare them, I’ve gotten real good at it!”

Steve laughed at the kid’s excitement, “I’d appreciate the help. We managed to get three rabbits tonight, I hope that’s enough for everyone.”

“That should be plenty,” Peter told him, tilting his head toward Drax, who was chewing on a leaf as he continued to hum and pet Rocket, “Drax doesn’t eat meat and we’ve been gathering greens as we’ve been traveling, so he has more than enough. That just leaves enough for six: you, me, Tony, Quill, Gamora, and James. Maybe a little bit for Rocket, if we can spare it, but I can just give him some of mine, so he doesn’t even really count.”

“Five,” Steve told him, amused when Peter turned around and started counting the number of travelers, “James won’t be joining us. He’s off hunting and will get his own.”

“Oh,” Peter said, then shrugged, “In that case, there’s _definitely_ enough.”

Steve laughed and they prepared the meal quietly, with Peter preserving the skins and tossing them to Drax, who then hung them on a couple of tree branches. It was only after they’d put the meat over the flames that he turned back to the rest of the group. He was considering what to say when Tony came to sit beside him, looking around nervously before asking, "So, what are we gonna tell them?”

Steve gave him a sly look before turning back to the group, but then a howl rang out from nearby before he could reply. He turned around quickly, trying to see Winter, but he must still be hidden in the trees. The Guardians were tense, Quill and Gamora looking around for the threat, but Steve shook his head, “It’s alright, that’s just Winter.”

“Winter?”

“Who’s Winter?”

“What do you mean, it’s _just_ Winter?”

Gamora, Peter, and Quill all spoke at once, but Peter was the only one more curious than concerned. Tony and Steve laughed at that and Tony shook his head, not sure how _this kid _had been trying to steal from someone when he was such a gentle, curious boy. Tony grinned widely, pleased that he knew something more than them, still a little jealous that Steve was just going to tell them when he’d tried to trick _him_, “Winter is a wolf, but don’t worry, he won’t hurt us. Probably.”

“Tony! Don’t scare them! I’ve been traveling with Winter for a long time,” Steve explained, smiling in reassurance as he absently waved a hand at Tony, “Ignore him, he’s just being a horrible person. Winter is…he’s not tame, but he’s not a threat to me and those I travel with unless they attempt to harm me. You shouldn’t have to fear him, not unless you mean me harm, in that case, I’ll back him up completely as he tears you apart.”

The Guardians didn’t look reassured, especially with his disclaimer at the end, so he continued, “You’ve met Captain? The hawk that travels with James?”

They all nodded, Steve grinned, “Winter is like Captain.”

Gamora’s eyes widened in comprehension and lit with an understanding she hadn’t had before, “My people have told a story of a forbidden love. The lovers were cursed, one becoming an eternal traveler as his lover was turned into night. I think I understand now what they meant when they said one of the pair was turned into night and the other into day.”

Quill snorted, “What’s a story have to do with this?”

Steve ignored the man and nodded at Gamora, “Yeah, something like that.”

She tilted her head, understanding what her people had been talking of for so many years now, “Then you are welcome among us, Steve.”

Quill looked from Gamora to Steve and back again, “What just happened? I thought we were on the same side here, but now you’re okay with him? Because of some _story_?”

Steve gestured around the fire, “Why doesn’t everyone sit and I can try to explain at least a little more?”

Drax immediately came over with Rocket and Groot and sat next to Peter. Gamora sat next to Tony, and Quill reluctantly sat between Gamora and Drax, not sure of the whole situation. Steve glanced at Tony and spoke, “I’ve been telling Tony the entire story since he’s been traveling with us, it only seems fair to tell you, too.”

“You are Captain,” Gamora stated firmly, earning a bark of laughter from Quill, wide eyes from Peter, and a gentle smile from Drax.

“Is that the story you heard?” Quill asked, still laughing, “Sorry to tell you, but that’s a fairy tale. People can’t turn into animals!”

Steve just met her eyes and nodded, “Yes.”

“What?!” Peter asked, incredulous, but accepting, “Really? How? Why? What happened? How does it feel to fly? What happened? How? What?”

Steve laughed at the boy’s rapid and repetitive questions, “It’s complicated.”

“No,” Quill said harshly, “What’s wrong with you? We’re helping you out and you’re just gonna lie to us? Who does that?”

Tony glared at the other man, “What’s your problem, Quill? He’s not lying. You wanna know what happened, let the man talk.”

“He has to be lying! How can you expect us to believe this shit? It’s crazy,” Quill said, but was stopped from saying more by a harsh growl from behind him.

Steve jumped up and ran around the group, kneeling down in front of the wolf, the same black wolf, with his grey leg, that he’d spent the last few decades with. Winter stood at the far edge of the light’s reach, so the others had a harder time seeing them, but they all watched as Steve reached out and hugged the wolf, “Winter. I’m so happy you’re here. I never understand why you’ve been staying away at night now. Does traveling with others worry you?”

The wolf let out a quiet whine and nuzzled its nose into Steve’s neck, making him squeal a little at the cold, wet pressure, “Don’t _do _that!”

The wolf let out several huffs that made everyone think he was laughing. Steve turned back to the group, “This is Winter.”

Gamora nodded, eyes drawn to the grey fur leg, “James.”

Peter’s eyes widened even more, but Quill just shook his head in denial, arms crossed over his chest, “No way. Not possible.”

Steve glared at the man, but looked at Gamora and Peter, nodding, “Yeah, this is what he changes into when the sun sets.”

“That explains why he wanted to stop so early,” Gamora said.

“Whoa…” Peter whispered.

Drax moved forward and knelt beside the pair, reaching out slowly to offer his hand to Winter. The wolf turned his head and sniffed at the hand before pressing his muzzle against it. Drax gave a wide grin and reached out to pet along Winter’s head, scratching along his neck. Steve cuddled closer to the wolf with a sad smile before he turned to Peter, “Yeah. As Gamora said, we were cursed. Day and night. He’s a man during the daylight and a wolf by moonlight, and I’m a hawk during the day and a man at night. Though the eternal traveler thing just kind of happened. We can’t stay too long in any one place in Hydra ruled territory. _He _always knows, somehow.”

“_May they always be together, but forever apart_,” Gamora whispered.

“What did you say?” Steve’s eyes shot to hers, his voice shaky.

“It’s part of the story told by my people,” Gamora explained, “The lovers, they were cursed to always be together but forever apart. One cursed to be day, the other cursed to be night. It is said that Hydra brought this curse upon them for daring to love each other against the edicts set forth by Pierce.”

Steve was silent, staring into the distance as he hugged the wolf tightly to his chest. Tony cleared his throat, seeing how affected Steve was, “Maybe we should eat and then get some sleep? I think we’ve had enough heavy stuff for today.”

No one said anything, but Peter let out a yelp and rushed to check the rabbits. He let out a relieved sigh, “Oh good, they’re not burnt. They should be ready too, so if we want, we can go ahead and eat.”

During the meal, the silence continued. Steve fed every other bite to Winter, whispering quietly to him as they settled away from the others at the edge of the fire light. Tony watched them sadly throughout the meal. The awkward and stifling silence carried on through the end of meal. Steve cleared his throat after he finished eating, standing. He opened his mouth, as if to speak, before shaking his head and tangling a hand in the fur of Winter’s neck before the pair walked off into the forest.

Tony was a little hurt. Steve had always been nearby at night since Tony had figured things out, always spending time with Tony, talking and just being there. It spoke to how taken aback and upset he was that he had gone off with Winter. The Guardians hadn’t travelled with them so they didn’t know that something was very clearly wrong with Steve. He hoped the smaller man didn’t freeze out there. The temperatures, especially in the forest where everything had been shaded, could get very low over night. He put that a thought out of his mind as he remembered the wolf. Winter was sure to keep him warm. It was hard to remember that Steve and James had been traveling alone for so long, but they had, and he knew they had worked together for years, decades. They had their own process for things, and that was hard to remember. Especially because Tony knew next to nothing about their time since the curse. He couldn’t say he knew much more about them in general, but he had the beginnings of their story.

Tony considered what Steve had told him so far. He didn’t know how he could help them, not yet. They hadn’t gotten far enough into the story for him to know what was done to them, so maybe when Steve finished, something would come to him. He couldn’t think of anything that would cause this, but Hydra had decades of research that he knew nothing about. And they were more than willing to do anything to get what they wanted. He continued to think about it as everyone settled down to rest. It was too early for most of them, but no one was willing to break the almost fragile silence they were suffering under.

* * *

The following morning, James was back in the camp, but was moodier than he had been even the day before. No one, even Tony who had a better relationship with him, knew what to do. No one wanted to approach him, afraid he would lash out. Tony was the only one who would go to him, but he would only ask brief questions, offer to help with something, and then they would continue with the journey. The next few days passed like that. James moodier than usual during the day and Steve not coming to the fire at night. He’d even stopped coming by for supper, though James made sure they made camp early enough for _him_ to have supper with them, instead of the first night when it was late enough that Steve was there. Tony hoped Steve was alright. He assumed, based on the game, that he wasn’t _angry_ about anything, but maybe he was still upset. On the fourth evening of traveling through the forest, Tony decided he’d had enough. James had just finished eating and was standing to go off on his own, Captain perched, as usual, on his metal shoulder, but Tony shook his head, “That’s it, I’ve had enough.”

The Guardians glanced at them nervously, but said nothing. James raised a brow and looked at Tony, “I’m not sure what you mean.”

Tony glared at Captain, hands on his waist, “You need to come to the fire tonight. I’ve been worried about you for days now. Whatever it is, we can work it out. Please. I just want to help, but to do that, I need to know what happened, and for that to happen, you need to be human and talk to me. Please.”

James glared at the other man, but Captain let out a quiet shriek, nuzzling against James’s hair before looking over at Tony. James let out a loud sigh, “Fine.”

With that, he moved to Rosie and dug around in one of the saddle bags, pulling out the book he was rarely without. He held the book close to his chest, hesitating, before holding it, almost reverently, out to Tony. He met Tony’s eyes and the other man could see the emotion in his eyes, “This is Steve’s sketchbook.”

Tony’s eyes widened in shock as he automatically took the offered book, cradling it carefully in his hands, “What?”

James nodded, “Yeah. It took us…a while to settle into ourselves after…anyway, Steve stopped drawing during that time and I know it hurt him. We managed to get away with some of our things, including his sketchbook, but he felt like his art was the reason this happened, so he couldn’t bring himself to draw for a long time.”

Tony didn’t know what to say to that, but James continued before he could think of anything, “When we finally settled into ourselves, our new selves, we didn’t know how we could continue as things were. We had been together for some time at that point, but to suddenly not be able to see each other as anything other than animals? We didn’t know how we could go on like that, but then Steve let himself start drawing again. He still felt like his art was at fault, at least partially, but it’s always been such a part of him that he couldn’t stop himself from drawing again. He was the one who came up with the idea. I’d come back to myself one morning and saw this, his sketchbook, sticking out of one of Rosie’s saddlebags, cover bent back. Steve hated doing that, so. I thought maybe he wanted me to see something. There was a note next to a sketch of me, human me and wolf me. He wrote that he was going to call wolf me Winter and that he wanted us to use his sketchbook to talk to each other. He wrote that we should think of it as if we were writing letters to each other.”

Tony saw the wistful smile on James’s face as he looked at Captain and didn’t speak, letting the other man take his time before he continued, “So that’s what we did. I’ve kept every single book we’ve written in. There are dozens. You father, actually, keeps them for us. But I always keep our current book, a blank one, and the very first one with me. The first one has all his sketches from the time we knew each other before this curse, and I like to look back and see how he saw the world then. His drawings have changed over the years, but there’s still always this…lightness in them that’s always been there. I like to see his drawings from then and compare them to the ones now and see what’s changed and what’s stayed the same.”

When James didn’t speak again, Tony cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the tightness he felt at the emotion the other man was exhibiting, “I…what’s that have to do with me?”

James blinked, coming back to himself, as if he’d lost himself in his reminiscence, “Steve’s always drawn at night, and he’s still done it these past few nights. He’s been writing to me, but has also written something for you. Tonight’s the last night he needs away from everyone and he asked me to show you the book and to ask you to read it, all of it, from the beginning.”

Tony swallowed audibly, glancing down at the book before nodding, “I will. And I’ll be sure to keep it safe, I promise.”

James nodded, shuddering harshly before looking up at the sky, “I have to go. I’ll be back in the morning. Read it. Don’t disappoint Steve.”

Tony snorted at that and received a matching smirk from James as the other man reached up to scratch along Captain’s head and neck. He watched James and Captain go off deeper into the forest until they were completely gone from view. He clutched the book tightly to his chest, not quite believing that Steve was willing to let him see his work. He’d spoken of it so possessively before, about how he didn’t like to show people his incomplete works, they were too private, too personal, and everything in his sketchbook would fit in that category. Tony walked back to the Guardians, who were just finishing supper, and sat beside the fire. Peter scooted closer, gesturing to the sketchbook, and asked, “What’s that?”

Tony shook his head, hugging the book to him, “It’s Steve’s. Something he asked me to look at.”

Peter nodded, turning back to the fire, “I hope he’s okay. He was nice.”

“Yeah,” Tony smiled, enjoying the simplicity of Peter’s acceptance and how he didn’t push for more information, “Steve is the best person I think I’ve ever met, and that’s only after knowing him for as short a time as I have.”

Gamora nodded, “Yes, he is very strong, but kind as well.”

“Drax like Steve. Steve friend,” the large man added his own thoughts on the matter.

“Yeah, yeah,” Quill said, rolling his eyes, “We all like the guy. I think he gets it.”

Gamora glared at the man, but Tony just laughed, “Quill, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you cared.”

“Glad you know better,” the man mumbled under his breath, but Tony laughed again, having heard him.

“We should see him tomorrow,” Tony told them hesitantly, “I think.”

He waited until everyone else had settled into their bedding for the night, when he was the only one left by the fire, before opening the book. At first, there were only some sketches of scenery. A river, some trees, buildings. Then it changed. He saw some sketches of Pierce, but the man was much younger in these. Then there were some of eyes, lips, a nose, a chin, ears. There were some of James’s face, but…happier, softer. Then more of arms, legs, a torso, a neck. A full body sketch of James, his face bright with laughter. There were some other men, Tony believed them to be James’s Howling Commandos. A couple more of Pierce. One of a throne. There were various sketches of buildings interspersed with more of James. He came across several that he immediately flipped past, blushing. More buildings. More of James. He flipped through until he came to several of the wolf. The first few pages were warped and Tony could tell they had been wet. Had Steve cried as he drew these? He continued to look through and saw more pages with writing on them. He realized that this must be the first sketchbook that James mentioned keeping with him always.

> I MISS YOU EVERY DAY.
> 
> I LOVE YOU.
> 
> MY HEART HURTS SO MUCH TO BE WITHOUT YOU. 
> 
> WHEN CAN WE BE TOGETHER AGAIN? WILL THIS CURSE EVER END?
> 
> WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO US?
> 
> DO YOU MISS ME TOO? DOES IT FEEL LIKE HALF YOUR SOUL IS MISSING TOO?
> 
> **YES. MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY.**

Tony saw it change from just Steve’s writing to James’s as well. He saw a change when Steve must have realized they could still write to each other. He saw the letter James had mentioned, the very first that was directly to him, and continued to flip through. They started writing letters to each other. Steve would still draw, but it was more writing than sketching now.

> I'VE ALMOST FORGOTTEN THE COLOR OF YOUR EYES. THE SHAPE OF YOUR LIPS AND HOW THEY FEEL AGAINST MY SKIN. I MISS YOUR LAUGH, YOUR SMILE, YOUR TOUCH. I WISH I COULD REMEMBER MORE OF OUR DAYS TOGETHER, BUT IT FEELS LESS LIKE REMEMBERING AND MORE LIKE JUST _KNOWING_. IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE SEEN YOUR BEAUTIFUL FACE.
> 
> **I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER YOUR SMILE, YOUR LAUGH. YOU CAN LIGHT UP THE ROOM WITH THOSE LIPS. YOU'RE MY SUN. NOW. ALWAYS. FOREVER.**

Tony swiped at the tears on his cheeks. It felt wrong to read something so private. He tried not to read the ones that seemed _too_ personal and, really, he didn’t need to read the ones that bordered on erotica. He continued to skim through and came to what appeared to be the end, but then he noticed a final page, one that had been torn from another book and added to the end of this one. He pulled out the added page and found a note addressed to him.

> TONY, I'M SORRY I HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND THESE LAST FEW DAYS, BUT IT WAS TOO MUCH - THEIR QUESTIONS, THE MEMORIES. I JUST WANTED TO BE WITH WINTER FOR A WHILE. I KNOW I TOLD YOU I WOULD TELL YOU OUR STORY, AND I WILL. I'LL BE BACK, I JUST NEEDED SOME TIME TO MYSELF, TO OURSELVES. AFTER SO MANY YEARS WITH JUST EACH OTHER FOR COMPANY, I THINK BUCKY AND I BOTH NEEDED SOME DISTANCE TO GET BACK TO OURSELVES.
> 
> **IT'S TRUE. HAVING ONE PERSON WITH US WAS MORE THAN WE'VE HAD IN DECADES, BUT HAVING TO TRAVEL WITH FOUR OTHERS ON TOP OF THAT? AND IDIOTS? THAT QUILL GUY...AND THAT KID, PETER, HE'S MORE ENERGETIC THAN I CAN HANDLE. GAMORA AND DRAX ARE ALRIGHT, THEY KNOW WHEN TO STOP TALKING. AND WE'VE KNOWN DRAX FOR A WHILE, HE'S A GOOD MAN.**
> 
> BUCK, PETER'S STILL JUST A KID, HE'LL GROW OUT OF IT, PROBABLY. HE'S A GOOD KID THOUGH, I LIKE HIM. AND DRAX, HE'S GREAT. HE'S SO SWEET. I'LL NEVER FORGET WHAT HE AND HIS FAMILY HAVE DONE FOR US, SUFFERED, TO HELP US. GAMORA IS REALLY INTENSE AND KIND OF SCARES ME.
> 
> **I NOTICE YOU DIDN'T ARGUE ABOUT QUILL. THAT MEANS YOU THINK I'M RIGHT.**
> 
> DOES NOT. STAY OUT OF MY NOTE, BUCK.
> 
> ANYWAY, TONY, I'M SORRY IF IT SEEMS LIKE I'VE ABANDONED YOU, BUT I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW NIGHT. WE'RE ALMOST TO GENOSHA, TOO, AND THAT SHOULD GIVE US MORE TIME AND SPACE TO TALK FREELY. I'M GLAD YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE YOUR DAD AGAIN. HE'S MISSED YOU OVER THE YEARS, BUT HAS KEPT UP WITH ANY NEWS OR GOSSIP. WE CAN TALK MORE TOMORROW NIGHT. I ASKED BUCK TO GIVE THIS TO YOU TONIGHT BECAUSE I THINK I'M READY NOW, MORE PREPARED. THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH US. YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT FRIEND, TONY.
> 
> **DOES SO.**

Tony laughed at the final note from James, no, _Bucky_. The notes in the book were definitely Steve’s Bucky, not the James he was to the rest of the world. Tony was relieved when he saw the notes. He was glad they were able to at least write to each other over the many years they had been apart. He hated thinking that they hadn’t been able to interact at all in their true forms. He let out a sigh of relief, though. He’d been worried about both men, but Steve especially. He sometimes forgot they had been alone for so long. He closed the book and tucked it under the rolled up cloth he was using as a pillow. He would look forward to talking with Steve again tomorrow.


	6. VI

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I have one more chapter left to revise and post before I'll work on new chapters!
> 
> I'd say to expect one more chapter this weekend (or Monday).
> 
> Enjoy!

“We’re getting close,” Gamora told the group of travelers, “I believe we should arrive to Genosha by the end of the day.”

Tony was surprised, “I thought we’d still have a day or two. We haven’t even left the forest yet, and don’t we still have several hours across the plains?”

Gamora shook her head, “We’ll be able to travel faster now, and we’re almost to the edge of the forest. Once we’re beyond that, traveling will be much easier.”

James nodded as he turned from where he was closing one of Rosie’s saddlebags, “That’s good news.”

Tony glanced at James. They hadn’t gotten a chance to talk yet, about the sketchbook, and Tony had some questions. The main one was about his father. It sounded like the man would be in Genosha, and he was nervous. He knew James had said he’d take him to his father, but it seemed so fast. He had almost thought it wouldn’t happen, as if it were a dream, but now it was happening. He didn’t know how to handle it. He turned to James, “Do you have a minute to talk?”

The other man looked around at their companions and saw that they were still packing their things. He nodded and led Tony to the side of the small clearing. Tony cleared his throat, “I read the book.”

James looked away, “I’d assumed you had when you gave it back to me this morning. You were meant to, anyway.”

“I’m glad you were able to talk to each other, even if it was only notes and letters. It was at least _something_,” Tony told him, getting a nod in return, “But that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”

James looked at him again, brow furrowed in question, “What is it?”

“Steve…Steve mentioned my dad,” Tony began hesitantly, “Is he in Genosha?”

James nodded, understanding that Tony was nervous about seeing his father after so long, and thinking he was dead for that time…he knew it would be difficult for the other man, “Yeah, he’s been in Genosha for the past several years. I don’t know what you already know, if anything, about Genosha, but it’s been a sort of haven for those cast out by Hydra. Many people afraid of Hydra, or fearful of their way of life here, have found homes in or through Genosha. The downside is that Hydra knows about Genosha, but they can’t do much since it’s not part of their kingdom. It’s just over the border, on land ruled by Shield, so there’s nothing they can do about it without risking outright war, and they’re not strong enough to win against Shield. The most they can do is patrol their lands near the border to catch anyone making their way to the border city. Howard was able to make it to Genosha, so he’s safe there. It would have been hard for him to let you know, even by letter, because Hydra tries to intercept anyone coming from that direction.”

Tony nodded, wanting to ask more questions about his dad, but James held up a hand, stopping him, “I won’t tell your father’s story, it’s his to tell. What I can and will tell you is that he’s changed, and you need to be prepared for that. What happened with Hydra affected him to a high degree. He’s not the man you knew, but that doesn’t mean you’re not still family. It doesn’t mean that you can’t get to know him again.”

Tony swallowed harshly, but nodded, “I understand. Thanks, for everything. I’ve been…putting off thinking about it, so knowing we’re so close has really brought it forward in my mind.”

James nodded, then moved back to Rosie, whistling for Captain, who flew down and landed on the pommel. He turned to the rest of the group, “Ready to move out?”

They reached the edge of the forest by mid-morning, making the entire party happy at being that much closer to Genosha and away from Hydra territory. James had Captain scout ahead to make sure there were no Hydra teams waiting for them nearby. When he returned with a seemingly clean report, they continued on their way, but were now moving across wide open plains. They _were_ able to move faster, but there was also more concern about getting tracked by the Strike Teams, so they had to be careful and smart about it. Tony had wondered at first how Hydra would have made it this far already, but remembered that there should already be scouts, especially if they were nearing the kingdom’s border. If what James said about their patrols near the Shield border, then all they would have needed was a letter, carried by bird, and they would be on alert. Knowing that Hydra was aware of Genosha made Tony even more worried, because he’s sure they would realize they would be headed for the border city. They didn’t know they were going for Howard, but they did know that Tony and James were wanted by Hydra and would seek to escape their reach.

It was mid-afternoon when James called them to a halt quickly and quietly. He was focused on something across the plains, “Strike Team ahead.”

The Guardians all froze, having never confronted Hydra’s Strike Teams in the past. Tony turned to James, “What do we do?”

James kept his eyes ahead, “Not much we _can_ do, not now. It looks like they’ve noticed us and are coming this way. We only have one horse, Rosie, and they’ll all be on horseback, so we can’t outrun them. They’re also coming from the direction we need to go. The only thing we can really do is meet them head on.”

Tony glanced at the rest of the group and saw Gamora’s fists clench. Quill held his hands out, ready to release his knives from the wrist sheaths Tony now knew he had. Drax stepped in front of Peter, hoping to protect the boy. Everyone knew the boy hated violence, so Drax handed Groot to him and urged Rocket to move to the boy’s shoulder rather than his own before practically planting himself in front of them, making sure nothing of Peter and his other companions could be seen. Tony had a moment of panic about needing to arm himself before remembering that he _did_ have weapons on him. James had made sure to give him a set of knives so he would be ready if something like this happened. James took a deep breath, “Stay where you are. It’s possible they haven’t been notified, but I wouldn’t bet on it. As scouts, though, they’re generally less armored, as they’re here more for reconnaissance than attack. If it comes to it, it shouldn’t be hard to pierce their clothing with your blades.”

The riders, all dressed in the standard black tunics with the red symbol of Hydra that all soldiers wore, came closer and one called out to them, “State your business!”

One of the other riders saw James and his eyes widened, “Sir! It’s one of the outlaws!”

James sighed, muttering, “Damn.”

Quill let out a quiet snicker but quickly turned it to a cough before stepping forward, “Is there a problem?”

There were five riders in front of them, but they didn’t know if they were the only ones in the area. The apparent team leader moved forward, glancing over at the man who’d said they were outlaws, “How do you know they’re outlaws?”

The other man, the youngest looking of the group, cleared his throat nervously, “We had a raven, sir. It came with sketches and descriptions of wanted outlaws. That one is Tony Stark. The one with the…silver arm…is James Barnes. Pierce put out a reward for the capture of Stark, but Barnes is dead or alive.”

The Strike Team members all glanced at the visible metal arm and then at each other. The Guardians all tensed, prepared to fight. The leader of the team nodded before pulling out his sword and riding toward them at a gallop, letting out a yell. The rest of the team followed.

Gamora let out her own battle cry and went on the attack. Quill started throwing knives and darts and, when those ran out, pulled out a dagger and launched himself at one of the riders. None of the riders went after Drax after he cracked his knuckles and glared at them, determining that they had plenty of other targets for now as long as the big man didn’t try to attack them first. James was a blur as he went on the offensive, knocking two of the riders from horseback and going after one of them with his sword. Tony went for the other man James had knocked down, moving in close and using his knives. He’d never had to fight like this before, but he knew if he was closer, it would be harder for the man to use his sword. As the fight wore on, Gamora managed to incapacitate the soldier she was fighting and moved to help Quill against the man he was fighting. James had managed to down the soldier he had gone after and moved toward Tony, but was hit with a crossbow bolt to his flesh shoulder. He let out a cry and fell to his knees.

Tony used the distraction to stab his attacker in the shoulder with one of his knives before bringing the other knife down on his head. The man crumpled to the ground. Gamora seemed to use the distraction to her benefit as well, but then they all turned toward the direction the bolt came from. The Strike Team leader seemed to have kept himself away from the fighting and had a crossbow in hand and was preparing another bolt. Tony stepped toward James to help him, but then Captain, who James had deliberately not called for, let out a fierce shriek and dove at the soldier. The man let out a cry as the hawk clawed and pecked at the his face. He managed to knock the bird aside and Captain flew up to dive again, but not before the man turned his crossbow on him, letting loose with the bolt. James screamed as it hit the hawk, piercing it straight through the breast. He ran at the man with a furious roar and threw his sword like a spear, knocking the man from his horse when the sword stabbed him through the stomach. Tony’s eyes were following Captain as he managed to catch himself from his initial freefall and glided the rest of the way to the ground. Tony started toward the bird, but James ran past him and got there first. The other man was crouched over Captain, hands hovering anxiously, unsure of what to do. He was mumbling quietly, “No, please, no. No. You’re okay. You’ll be okay. No. You’re okay. You can’t leave me. Don’t leave me, Steve.”

Tony came closer and James turned to him, frantic, “Get some cloth from the bag, quickly!”

Tony turned, but found Peter was already running toward them, hands full of clothes, panic on his face, “Here.”

James took the clothes from him and turned back to the bird, gently wrapping the clothes around him to pad the arrow, so it wouldn’t shift when they moved him. He turned desperate eyes to Tony, glancing back at Rosie before carefully lifting Captain in his hands, “Tony, you have to take him. You have to take Rosie and get Captain to Genosha quickly. I don’t know how long he’ll be okay like this.”

Tony looked at Captain, but shook his head, “James, I don’t know how to get there, or where to go once I’m there, you should go!”

“I can’t,” James cried, eyes filled with tears, “It’s almost sunset. I can’t guarantee we’d make it before the sun goes down. Even if we did, I’d be in the middle of a city when I change. It has to be you.”

Tony looked at the others, “What about Gamora? She knows the way!”

James shook his head again, “It has to be you. I trust _you_, Tony.”

Tony took a deep breath, realizing that he needed to do this for James, for Steve, for them all, “Okay, but can one of them come with me for directions?”

“Do you know where to find Howard Stark?” James demanded of Peter, who could only nod, eyes wide. James turned back to Tony, “Take him. Get on Rosie, both of you, Tony in front, and I’ll pass Captain up to you. When you get there, tell him Steve needs help. He’ll know it’s him.”

Tony climbed up first, then reached down to help Peter up behind him. The kid was small, light, so it worked. He reached down and James carefully handed Captain up to him. James then grabbed the reins and passed them back to Peter, “You’re going to have to guide her. She knows the general direction, so you won’t need to add too much pressure on the reins. Once in the city, though, you’ll have to be more firm with her. Now go, get him some help!”

They both nodded and Peter nervously shifted the reins. James stopped them once more, “If anything happens to him, know that I will hunt you both until the end of my days.”

Tony nodded as Peter guided Rosie off, first at a gentle, cautious walk, then up to a trot, and then, when he realized that Tony was keeping a careful hold on Captain, a full gallop. Neither looked back. Tony couldn’t stop looking down at Captain. At Steve. He couldn’t forget that this was really a man. A man who had been shot in the chest with a crossbow bolt. He needed Steve to be okay, for James, Bucky, but also for him. He didn’t want to lose his friend.

It didn’t take them long to get to Genosha, not on horseback as fast as they were going. As they approached the city, Tony saw the high walls surrounding it, looking nothing like the City under Hydra’s rule. Yes, it had walls, but they gave off a feeling of protection, not oppression. As they approached the gates, Peter slowed Rosie and called up, “We seek asylum and have one in need of medical assistance!”

Tony blinked and glanced back at the kid, getting a shrug and the quiet response of, “There’s always a code, Tony. I’ve just memorized them. Still sounds weird to say, though.”

The gates opened and they were welcomed into Genosha. One of the guards stopped them once they were inside, letting the gates close behind them, “Which of your party needs medical assistance?”

Tony gently raised Captain, still cradled gently in his hands, “Our friend needs help. We’re on our way to Howard Stark.”

The guard eyed them, and the bird, closely before nodding, though his confusion showed, “If you know the way, you may go.”

Peter directed Rosie from there, taking the streets carefully, mindful of the people they were passing, but still moving quickly. They reached a house closer to the city center and Peter carefully dismounted, reaching up to take Captain while Tony dismounted. He hesitated before handing the bird down, but then realized he couldn’t very well dismount while holding the bird. Once he was down, rather than taking the bird back, Tony gestured for Peter to walk ahead of him so he could keep an eye on his charge, both of them. He hesitated before knocking loudly on the door. It had been 10 years since he’d last seen his dad and their reunion was going to be a demand for help with a bird that was also a man. He knocked again, even louder this time. Noises from inside the house came closer, and he heard a distant muttering, but not what was being said.

“Who is it?”

Tony froze at that voice. It was his dad. His _dad_. Peter looked at him with wide eyes before speaking, “Steve needs help. He’s been injured.”

There was muffled cursing and then the door opened quickly. Tony swallowed harshly as he took in the man in front of him. He looked just like he did 10 years ago, when he disappeared. Well, there was more grey in his hair, more lines on his face, but it was still, very clearly, Howard Stark. His father’s eyes were on the bird in Peter’s hands and he sucked in a breath, “Quickly, get inside. Bring him through.”

Peter and Tony went inside. Tony watched as Howard locked the door behind them, then grabbed the crutches Tony hadn’t seen leaning against the wall, and made his way past them, “Come, quickly now.”

Tony and Peter followed him through the house. He led them into a room at the end of the hall. The room was equipped with a bed and, from what they could see, other medical supplies. He gestured to the bed, “Set him there and go.”

Peter gently set the bird down on the bed and backed out of the room. Tony hesitated before leaving as well. He didn’t want to distract his father from treating the bird. Howard called out, “You can wait in the common room. Or find the kitchens, if you’re hungry.”

The door closed behind them. Peter looked at Tony, “Are you hungry?”

Tony shook his head, but was betrayed when his stomach let out a growl, “I guess I am, but I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat. My dad is just on the other side of that door, Peter. I haven’t seen him in a decade. I don’t know what to do.”

Peter put an arm around Tony’s back and led him back down the hall, “Maybe eat now, before you’re both distracted when he finds out who you are.”

Tony silently followed the boy’s guidance as they wandered through the house, trying to find the kitchens. Once there, Peter pulled out the makings for sandwiches, finding bread in the cupboard and some meat and cheese from the cold larder attached to the kitchens, and put several together before they both sat at the kitchen table. When Tony asked why, he said it was for when the rest of the Guardians arrived. Tony looked out the window and saw the almost orange glow from the setting sun. Steve would change back soon, and James would be a wolf for the night. He felt for James – not knowing what was happening with Steve had to be really difficult for him. As they sat there, Peter started to talk, just chattering about nothing. Tony was grateful for boy’s rambling, as the sound gave him something to focus on other than what was going on at the end of the hall.

Sometime later, he heard a door open and shut from farther in the house. He looked up to the doorway, just waiting. He didn’t have to wait long. Howard came in, announcing, “He’ll be fine. I managed to remove the arrow. It was lucky it didn’t hit anything vital. It was through the shoulder, so it’ll take some time, but it’ll heal.”

Peter grinned at the man, “Our friends will be happy to hear that when they arrive.”

At that, Howard looked at the kid suspiciously, “Your friends?”

Then he looked at Tony and he froze. Tony watched as the older man seemed to realize just who was in front of him. Howard moved closer and leaned his crutches against the table, hands reaching out toward Tony. Tony watched as the hands came closer until they were cradling his face between them. His eyes filled with tears as he leaned closer, until his forehead was resting against Tony’s, “Anthony? My Tony? Is that you?”

Tony nodded, his own hands moving up to cover his father’s, voice hoarse when he spoke, “Yeah, dad, it’s me.”

Both men cried and Tony carefully hugged the man, trying not to make him move too much, not sure what had happened, but not wanting to add to his physical stress. Howard pulled back, “I’ve hoped, for years, that you would come here, but I never thought it would truly happen. I’d almost resigned myself to never…”

Tony smiled up at his dad through his tears, trying to hold in the overwhelming joy that his father recognized him right away and had missed him too, “I thought you were dead, that they killed you. When James told me you were alive, I…I…”

Howard shushed him and hugged him tight, “I know, son. But I’m here. We’re both here now.”

Father and son stayed like that for several minutes before Howard pulled back again, “You said James told you I was alive? You mean Bucky? How do you know Bucky?”

Tony looked up and realized that Peter was no longer there. He was grateful to the boy for letting them have time alone together, but also so he wouldn’t feel bad about telling his dad what happened. His dad knew James and Steve, knew them back then and knows them now, so he didn’t feel bad for telling him about what’s happened since he met James. He told his dad everything, _everything_, that had happened to lead him here. He glossed over his life after Howard disappeared, but told him about helping people escape Hydra and how one of them led to his arrest, but the rest, since his escape from the City, he told in detail. It was only when a knock came at the front door that he stopped. Howard and Tony both made their way back to the entry hall, where Peter was hovering anxiously, “I think it’s the rest of the Guardians, but I didn’t say anything just in case.”

Howard smiled at the boy, replying quietly, “Very smart. You shouldn’t have to worry in Genosha, but you can never be too careful when it comes to Hydra. We may be in Shield territory, but Hydra’s been escalating in recent years, so I can’t say if they would try to come into the city.”

There was another knock and Howard called out, “Who is it?”

Tony moved in front of the door, ready to open it if it was the rest of their party. He wasn’t sure what would happen if it were someone else, but he also wanted to be prepared for that instance as well.

“Mr. Stark, we’re here about a bird and some friends of ours,” Quill’s voice came through the door.

Howard glanced at his son, who whispered in his ear, encouraging him to question the other man. The older man nodded, “How many people are in your party?”

“Are we counting Tony and the kid?” They heard Quill ask someone, probably Gamora, and heard hushed voices before he answered, “Right now, three, but that’s not counting the tree or the racoon. Then we have two more, Tony and the kid – dammit, Gamora – Peter, I mean. And we also have a part time wolf and hawk, supposedly.”

Tony rolled his eyes, but nodded to his father, holding back a chuckle as he opened the door, “Part time wolf and hawk?”

Quill grinned and shrugged as he stepped inside, “What would _you _call them?”

Quill was followed by Gamora, who nodded at them, and Drax, who was holding Groot and had Rocket on his shoulder. Tony closed the door behind them after looking around, just in case. He turned back to them, “How’s James?”

Gamora shook her head sadly, “He was almost sick with worry, but he refused to come in.”

“You know why,” Tony replied, getting a nod from her and eye roll from Quill, who still, somehow, didn’t believe them, no matter his joking about it. It was then that Tony remembered Rosie, “I should put Rosie in the stable.”

Peter shook his head, smiling at the older man, “I already did, when you were in the kitchen. I put the saddlebags in the common room.”

Tony returned the smile and nodded at him, “Thanks, kid. That’s a big help.”

Peter grinned at him before moving to Drax to pet Rocket on the head and ask after Groot. Howard waved them all into the adjacent room, “Please, you can rest and relax in the common room. I have to check on my patient, but I’ll return.”

Tony quickly rummaged through one of the saddlebags until he found Steve’s sketchbook and followed his father out of the room and down the hall, “Is there anything I can help with?”

Howard shook his head, “I removed the arrow and packed and bandaged the wound. There’s not much else that can be done. Now it’s mostly a waiting game.”

They entered the room to find themselves the focus Steve’s blue eyes. The injured man smiled weakly at the pair, “I’m so glad you found each other again.”

Tony walked up to the bed, sitting in the chair beside it, looking down at Steve’s bandaged shoulder, “How are you doing?”

“I’m alright,” Steve told him softly, “Sore, but it’ll heal.”

Tony nodded absently before bringing out the book, “I brought something of yours.”

Steve groaned, “I forgot about that. Did you read it?”

“Most of it,” Tony told him, blushing as he looked away, “I skipped some parts. Not sure I’m old enough to read them.”

Howard chuckled when Steve groaned again, “Sickening, isn’t it? How in love those two are?”

“Only a little,” Tony told him, grinning, “Mostly it’s sweet, but, yeah, there are some things I definitely don’t need to know.”

Steve rolled his eyes as both Stark men laughed, “Alright, I get it. But you got my note?”

“Yeah, and I understand,” Tony told him, grin softening, “I forget sometimes that you two have only had each other for so long. It was a lot to add in the idiots out there.”

“I mean, we’ve had your dad and a few others now and then,” Steve clarified, “but yeah. It’s just us a lot, so suddenly having that many others was a bit…overwhelming. And they’re not idiots.”

Tony nodded, rolling his eyes, and they lapsed into silence. Howard was puttering around, cleaning up, when Steve spoke again, “Do you want to hear more about me and Bucky? I think I stopped after our date at Howard’s pub. ”

Howard raised a brow at how eagerly Tony agreed, “Yeah! I’ve been waiting days to hear more.”

Steve laughed and nodded, “Yeah, sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize,” Tony told him, then reconsidered, “Or maybe you do, but in the form of telling me what happened next.”

Steve and Howard both laughed at that. Steve shook his head, “He’s just like you, Howard.”

Howard grinned, proud to be recognized in his son, “Isn’t he?”

Steve closed his eyes for a moment and both Stark men could tell he was exhausted. Tony smiled gently at him when he opened them again, “Maybe you should sleep, then you can tell me more when you wake up.”

Steve shook his head, words almost slurring as he insisted, “No, promised.”

Tony laughed, “You’re falling asleep already. I’m pretty sure it can wait until you can think clearly. Who knows what you’d tell me now.”

“If you’re sure,” Steve said quietly, his eyes closing again, his breathing evening out.

Howard stared at his son, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Steve back down from something. I don’t know if he’s just _that_ tired, or if it’s something you did.”

Tony laughed, “Both? Can it be both? Even though I highly doubt it had anything to do with me.”

“Everyone should settle in to sleep,” Howard told him, just as they heard the howl of a wolf, “Bucky will still be a mess tomorrow, so you’ll have your hands full then. Steve should be okay, though. He’ll be able to see that. Don’t know if he will though.”

Tony nodded, knowing exactly what his father meant. James was the stubborn sort, “I’d like to stay in here, if I can? In case he wakes up? I don’t want him to be alone.”

Howard nodded, gesturing to a cabinet, “There’s more blankets and things in there. The floor would probably be more comfortable than that chair. I’m going to bed, myself. If you need anything, I’m just across the hall. The lamp is safe to leave on. It runs on a long-term energy source connected through the city, so there’s no worry about it falling over and catching the house on fire.”

Tony stood, pushing his curiosity over the energy source to the back of his mind, and hugged his dad tight, “I’m glad I found you. We have a lot to catch up on. And you’ll have to tell me more about this energy source.”

Howard nodded, huffing out a laugh, “We can talk more tomorrow.”

Tony grinned at his dad as he left before putting together his own bed. He heard Winter howl again. Tomorrow. He’d be able to tell James how Steve is doing tomorrow. He’d be able to talk more with his dad tomorrow. He’d find out more about what was powering the lamps throughout the house, because now that he was thinking about it, it had to be connected to everything. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

* * *

Tony woke abruptly, not sure what it was that disturbed his sleep. He stayed still, listening for any sound that could have woken him.

“No…don’t…”

Steve. He was still human, so it wasn’t sunrise yet.

“Please…don’t…”

Tony sat up and looked at Steve, who was shifting around, not quite thrashing, but moving enough that it looked like he was trying to fight something. It took him a few moments for his sleep addled brain to catch up, but then he realized the smaller man must be having a nightmare. He stood and reached over to touch his uninjured shoulder, barely making contact, when Steve sat up, colliding with Tony, who had been leaning over him. Tony fell back a few steps, letting out a groan as he grabbed at his head, Steve’s forehead having smacked into his. Steve, at the same time, let out a yelp and clutched his own head before falling back against his pillows.

“I’m sorry,” Tony apologized quickly, groaning again, “You were having a nightmare, so I wanted to wake you up.”

Steve nodded slowly, trying not to aggravate his head, massaging his forehead to try to dull the pain, “I…thanks, I was.”

They were both quiet after that, waiting for the pain to lessen. Tony sat in the chair next to the bed, “You doing okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

Steve gave him a small smile, “I’m okay, better now that I’m awake. It was just…a dream about…what happened.”

Tony nodded, “Oh. I’m sorry.”

“Nothing you can do about it,” Steve reassured him and Tony let out a snort at the thought that _he_ was being reassured by the man who’d had the nightmare. Or memory? Memory.

They were quiet again, each just listening to the sounds of the house and the muffled noises from outside. Steve sat up again, settling himself against the headboard. Tony immediately moved forward, trying to stabilize his injured shoulder, “Whoa, should you even be moving yet?”

Steve shot him a sweet smile, “I’m okay, Tony, thank you. It’s already doing a lot better. I think it should be completely healed after the transformation. The change to human would have healed it completely already, but Howard wanted to leave the arrow in. It’s easier to remove an arrow from a human without injuring them more. If he tried to remove the arrow when I was still a hawk, it could have harmed something else internally.”

“What?” Tony asked, confused, “How would you be healed?”

Steve shrugged his good shoulder, “I don’t really know how it works, but it’s almost like every time we change, we have a set form we change into, so everything changes back to that, injury or not. I think that’s why we’re still so young. How else would a hawk and wolf have lived this long? It does it with our human forms too. I haven’t changed at all since we were cursed.”

“That’s fascinating,” Tony leaned forward, interest lighting his eyes, “Has it always healed you? Do you think it was programmed to your DNA at the time or something else? Do you think-”

“Tony!” Steve interrupted him with a laugh, “We know next to nothing about it, just ideas based on our experience with it. Howard might know more, he’s been trying to find a cure for years now. It’s hard, though, because he doesn’t know exactly what we were given.”

“What _were_ you given?” Tony asked, then remembered something James had said when they first met, “Was it a serum?”

Steve’s eyes widened in surprise and he nodded hesitantly, “Yes…yeah, Pierce…it was a serum. How did you know?”

“James, he mentioned something about serums when we first met,” Tony told him, “And if dad’s working on it…he was always interested in serums and did a lot of work around them. He’s always been a genius with that stuff. I still have his notes and experiments from…before.”

“That’s great, Tony!” Steve told him happily, “Howard will be happy to know his work wasn’t destroyed. He’s always been afraid that was the case.”

“I’d never let that happen,” Tony told him fiercely, “It was all I had left of my dad for the longest time.”

Steve gave him an understanding smile, “That’s great, Tony. I’m glad you had that, at least. Now, though, you have each other again.”

Tony gave him an almost sad smile, “Yeah…”

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked, leaning toward him, a hand grabbing one of his, “Is everything alright? Did something happen?”

“No, yeah, it’s okay,” Tony reassured him, clasping the offered hand like a lifeline, “It’s just…what if he doesn’t…we’re different people now, Steve. I…what if he doesn’t…what if it’s different now?”

Steve nodded, understanding what Tony meant, “Of course it’s different, Tony. You’ve both lived without each other for years, and what Hydra did to Howard affected him greatly. I’m sure you’re different too, Tony. Losing your dad has to have some kind of impact on you, and that’s not gonna just go away. And then you had your own experiences with Hydra that would affect you too. You’ll both have to learn who you are again, but he’s always going to love you. Every time we’ve come to Genosha, Howard has always talked about you, things like had we heard about you while we were traveling, or if we’d heard about this rumor or that rumor that had made its way out here. I can tell you that he’s nervous too. He’s _known_ you were out there, but there was no way for him to find you. He’s always known you would be a different man than the one he left, and he’s been ready for that. You just need to accept that he’s different too.”

Tony squeezed Steve’s hand, “Thanks. I know it, intellectually, but it helps to hear it. Helps me process everything.”

Steve grinned, that same sunshine smile that lit up his face like the sun, “Of course. You’re my friend, Tony. You can talk to me about anything.”

They lapsed into silence again, just enjoying the quiet. Several minutes later, they heard movement inside the house, a shuffling and thumping that Tony had quickly learned to associate with his father’s gait, before a soft knock came on the door. The door opened slowly and Howard peeked inside, smiling when he saw both men were awake, “Oh good, I’m glad you’re both awake. I would’ve hated to wake you if you were still asleep, and I need to check on Steve’s injury.”

Tony moved back from the bed as Howard came in and bustled around. He moved the bandages and hummed, “It looks like it’s healing well. There shouldn’t be any issues when you change.”

Steve smiled up at the older man, “Thanks, Howard. You know I’ll be good as new soon.”

Howard gave him a pained smile in return, “Yeah…though sometimes I forget. I’m sorry…I haven’t made any progress on-”

“Howard,” Steve held up a hand, stopping him, “It’s okay. To be honest, we don’t expect you to find a cure, or something like it. I’ve told you before, you don’t have to keep looking. I don’t want you to waste your money on us.”

Howard grimaced and shook his head, “It’s not a waste, Steve. I think I’m close, but I’m still missing something.”

Steve bit his lip and glanced at Tony, unsure if he should mention Howard’s previous research. Tony saw the look and spoke, “Dad, I have all your old notebooks. Everything you worked on, experiments, notes. I have them.”

Howard turned wide eyes on his son, “You do? I thought Hydra would have confiscated them years ago.”

“I hid them,” Tony admitted, “They searched the place and _did_ take some stuff, but I hid all your journals and notebooks so they couldn’t get to them. I’ve used them to build things and help people who were trying to get away from Hydra.”

“You have?” Howard asked, surprised, but happy that his son had thought to do that.

“They were all I had left of you,” Tony told him matter-of-factly, “At least for a while. They made me feel close to you, especially when I was working on the same things. I would pretend you were just out at the shops or something and had left notes for me while you were gone.”

Howard’s eyes clouded with tears and he reached out to pull Tony into a tight hug. Tony returned the hug and just held on. He felt his dad’s tears soak into his shoulder. They’d talked the night before, but he knew there would be many more conversations so they could get to know each other again. It would take a while for them to work through their separation, but they _would _work through it. Together.

They’d just pulled away, smiling sadly at each other, when another knock came on the med room door. Howard cleared his throat and called out, “Yes?”

“Mr. Stark, sir? Someone’s at the front door.”

Tony recognized Peter’s voice. Howard opened the door and looked at the boy, “Did they say anything, or did they just knock?”

“They just knocked,” Peter told him, confusion in his voice, “Do you want us to ask them anything?”

Howard shook his head and gestured for Peter to go ahead of him, “No, let’s go see who it is. No one else knows you’re here, and we should leave it that way for the time being.”

Tony watched them walk down the hall and turned back to Steve, conflicted. Steve just shook his head, “Go on, I’ll be okay. Even if something happened, it’d be better for you to be out there.”

Tony hesitated again, not sure, but then he saw the stubborn twist of Steve’s mouth and decided it’d be best to just listen to him. He followed the others to the front hall after closing the med room door behind him. Gamora and Quill were waiting for them there and Gamora gestured to Peter to go back into the common room. He let out a quiet sigh but did as ordered. Tony looked in the common room and saw Drax move in front of Peter, Groot and Rocket with the boy again. Gamora reached for her sword, but Howard signaled for them to wait. A knock came again, but it was tapped out in an odd rhythm. Howard immediately opened the door and a cloaked man practically fell into the house. Howard gestured toward the man, “Help him into the common room, now.”

Howard quickly shut and locked the door again before following Gamora and Quill, who were supporting his visitor, into the common room. The Guardians gently settled the stranger onto a chair and stood around him, alert and waiting. Howard rushed as quickly as he could into the room, “My friend, it’s been so long. Where have you been? Were you able to find it?”

The stranger removed the hood and Tony saw it was Jarvis, an old friend of Howard’s that had helped raise him. He, too, had disappeared, but it was before his father had been taken. He, like Howard, looked older than he remembered. It made sense, of course it did, but he was still surprised. Both men had always seemed ageless in his memories. Tony stepped forward to peer around his father.

“Hydra is out in force recently,” Jarvis explained with a grimace, his accented voice bringing memories of his visits to Tony’s mind, “They’re monitoring all travelers throughout the kingdom, especially those moving toward the border.”

Howard nodded, “And we know why, now. Jarvis, you remember my Tony?”

The older man looked up in surprise, but it soon turned into a grin, “Little Tony? Oh, it’s so good to see you again!”

Jarvis stood and pulled Tony into a tight hug. Tony relaxed into it, thinking that he’d been hugged more in the past two days than he had been in the past 10 years. It was nice. Jarvis pulled away and cupped Tony’s cheeks in his hands as he looked him over and gave a nod, “You look so grown up.”

Tony smiled back, hesitantly, “Yeah, it’s been…a while.”

Jarvis stepped back, frowning, “Yes, and I apologize for that. I can’t imagine…”

“What happened?” Tony asked, leading Jarvis back to the chairs, both of them sitting, “You disappeared, dad was worried, and he was gone, too, not long after that. Then Hydra came, so I knew they had to have something to do with it.”

Jarvis glanced at Howard, who nodded, then back at Tony, “I had a lead on where we could find Steve and James, here in Genosha, so I left to see if it was true. We’d always been searching for them. I’m not sure if you’d remember all the times your father and I would talk about it, but ever since they’d been banished from the City, we’d looked for them. I received news shortly after I left that Howard had been taken by Hydra. I had found James on my way to Genosha, so he came with me when I wanted to go back to the City to find Howard. Thanks to his help, we were able to get your father away from Hydra. They had already begun their interrogations, though, so he wasn’t in good health. We decided it would be safer to bring him here, to Genosha. He would be able to recover and they wouldn’t be able to reach him here. Not without retaliation from Shield.”

Tony looked at his dad, who was sitting in the chair beside him, “How long did they have you?”

“Three weeks,” Howard admitted gruffly, “They decided to move straight to torture. They wanted to know what I knew about James, and Steve, and how I was helping people get away from the City. It had already been 20 years since James and Steve were banished by Pierce, but the man had lost track of them over the years. It was around that time 10 years ago that the rumors of their presence were rampant. Pierce hadn’t meant for them to go free, so he wanted to capture them and keep them for his own personal entertainment, and to use as an example. You remember it was around that time that the Strike Team patrols increased so much.”

Tony nodded, “Yeah, I wondered why, but you wouldn’t tell me. I always thought you knew something.”

Howard gave him an apologetic smile, “Yes, but it wasn’t my secret to tell, son. And I wanted to protect you as much as I could. If they had a suspicion that you knew anything, they would have taken you in too, and I would never want that. Never.”

“I understand,” Tony told him, “I don’t know that I would have then, but I do now.”

Jarvis turned to Howard again, “The rumors were false this time, but they did lead me to someone who can help.”

Howard’s brows furrowed in confusion, “Who?”

“Erskine,” Jarvis told him gravely.

Howard let out what sounded almost like a growl, “Erskine? That…man…has the gall to show his face here?”

“Erskine…” Tony thought the name sounded familiar, then he remembered, “Oh! Hydra asked me about him when they arrested me!”

Howard looked at his son, face pale, “What? Why would they ask _you _about _him_?”

“I helped a man escape the City right before they arrested me,” Tony told them, “I never asked names and they never volunteered them, but Hydra seemed to think the man I helped was named Erskine. James seemed to recognize the name, too, when I told him about it. Who is he?”

“He would,” Howard replied sadly, “Abraham Erskine was Hydra’s paid inventor. He’s the one who created the serum Pierce forced on Steve and Bucky. The one that made them transform.”

Tony looked between Jarvis and his dad, “Would he be willing to help?”

The older men exchanged looks before Howard shook his head, “I don’t know. He might. We’d need to find him, though.”

“He’s in Genosha,” Jarvis told them, and he was about to say more, but then a cry came from the med room.

Tony ran down the hall to the med room, throwing open the door, but he stopped in the doorway when he saw the bed was no longer occupied by Steve. Where Steve had been previously, Captain sat now. The bird let out a soft shriek as Tony came closer. The man felt a suddenly overwhelming sadness as he looked at the bird. He ran a finger gently down the birds head and neck, “We’ll figure this out, Steve. I promise.”


	7. VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the last chapter I have written so far! I've already started on the next, so I'll hopefully have a new one for you next weekend! I think we're maybe 2/3 or 3/4 done? But I don't know for sure, we'll see how the characters want this to go...
> 
> Enjoy!

Tony stayed with Captain for a while, soothing the bird and himself. He had given the bird a once over to see if there was any evidence of his injury, but there was no sign that he had even been touched. Yet another thing that fascinated Tony about the whole transformation. The bird seemed exhausted, letting Tony handle him easily, and that made Tony wonder if everything was alright. He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when he heard a bang on the front door, he knew it had to be James. He picked Captain up and walked out toward the entry hall, hearing muffled voices then the door opening.

“Where is he? Is he alright?” James asked frantically.

Tony walked into the hall and smiled at the worried man, gesturing with his head to the bird cradled in his arms, “He’s fine now, doesn’t even seem like he was hurt now. It looks like the second transformation healed him right up.”

James rushed toward Tony and reached for Captain, pulling his hands back abruptly before he touched the bird. He swallowed harshly before meeting Tony’s eyes, nodding once, “Thank you. I knew you would help him.”

Tony moved his arms away from his body so James would be able to take Captain from him easily, but the other man just shook his head and stepped back, “I…I don’t wanna hurt him.”

The bird let out a quiet shriek and Tony grinned, “You won’t. See? He’s even telling you it’s okay. Really, he’s probably calling you a jerk and telling you to knock it off, but I’m taking liberties as translator here.”

James let out a harsh bark of laughter and swallowed again, reaching out once more and carefully taking the bird into his own arms, cradling it against his chest. He leaned his head down and let the bird nuzzle his hair for a few moments, closing his eyes briefly, before pulling back. Tony looked away from the man, trying to give him some semblance of privacy. His dad was standing near the front door, looking at James and Captain with a deep sadness. The curse on the two men had clearly affected more than just the two of them. Everyone who knew them, everyone who cared for them, felt it. There had to be something they could do. Howard nodded at him over James’s head and gestured toward the common room before speaking, “Jarvis has some news.”

James turned around and gave Howard a small smile in thanks before following the other man, keeping Captain close. Tony followed after them. Jarvis looked up when they came back in and his eyes widened when he saw James, “James!”

The man in question smiled at the older man, “Jarvis. It’s been a while.”

Jarvis nodded, “Yes, but I’m glad to see you, both of you, even in these circumstances.”

The room lapsed into silence. Tony shook his head. These men had been trying to find a solution for years but they didn’t seem to know how to interact with each other. He turned to Jarvis, “So, can you tell us more about what you found?”

Jarvis nodded, glancing at James again, “As I mentioned to the others, I have a lead on Erskine.”

James stiffened, “Erskine.”

“Yes,” Jarvis replied, “He’s in Genosha.”

James looked down at Captain, trying to hide his…fear and concern, “Why?”

“It seems he managed to escape from Hydra and has sought sanctuary in Genosha,” Jarvis answered, “I was hoping he might be able to shed some light on his original serum. We need to know what it is and how it was meant to work.”

“He betrayed us once,” James said harshly, “He could do it again. Why should we trust him to tell us the truth?”

Howard shot him a sad look, “He did betray you, but I think…I think he would be willing to help, if what I’ve been hearing about his recent work is true. The rumors that have been going around have all said he’s working to help people. Trying to atone for his previous work with Hydra. It could mean that he’d be willing to help, that he wants to correct what was done.”

James’s mouth twisted into a sneer, but he didn’t say anything. Jarvis spoke again, “I think it at least makes sense to speak with him. See if he has anything to say. We know next to nothing about the serum. To our knowledge, there was only enough to use it the once and he refused to make more after that.”

The Guardians were all shifting awkwardly at the side of the room and Tony almost laughed. Then Gamora stepped forward and spoke, “I know we do not know each other well, but we would like to help if we can.”

Quill spoke next, “Yeah, if nothing else, we’re all for anything that can hurt Hydra. They’ve done enough to hurt all of us.”

Peter and Drax nodded as well, both smiling, though Drax’s wasn’t as wide as Peter’s. James looked away and said quietly, “Thank you. I know we have no right to ask for your help, _more_ of your help.”

“There’s no need to ask,” Gamora told him with a stubborn tilt of her head, “We’ve offered it freely.”

“Thank you,” James repeated, absently petting Captain.

Howard clapped his hands, “Now, we need to find out where Erskine is and talk to him. Any ideas?”

“Drax help,” the large man told them with a nod and smile, “Drax know Logan. Logan find man.”

The group just blinked at him while Peter grinned, “That’s a great idea, Drax! Logan can find anything.”

The Guardians all looked at Peter, who flushed. Sensing there was something the Guardians knew that the rest of them didn’t, Tony raised a brow at Peter and asked, “Care to share with the class?”

Peter‘s cheeks pinkeyes even more, “Right, well, Logan works at one of the pubs here, ‘X’. He helped me after my Aunt May…after Aunt May died, he helped me find a job and found the Guardians for me.”

“_That’s _how you found us?” Quill asked, turning to look at Gamora, “Did you know that? I didn’t know that. He just…came out of nowhere.”

“You didn’t even notice him for a week,” Gamora said dryly, rolling her eyes, “I’m not surprised that you wouldn’t have known this.”

The others stared at Quill before Tony asked, incredulous, “How do you not notice a whole other person? For a week?”

Quill shrugged defensively, “Don’t act like you’ve never been surprised by someone.”

“No, yeah, I have,” Tony replied, brow raised, “but generally that’s when they _first_ show up, out of nowhere, right in front of me, not after they’ve been there for a week.”

“To be fair,” Peter interrupted, trying to help the older Peter, “I mostly just hung around Drax for a week, and he might have hidden me?”

Gamora rolled her eyes again, “You weren’t very quiet when you first found us. You stumbled into our camp, said ‘Oh hi, guess Logan was right’, then passed out. You were soaking wet. I think Drax adopted you as his third pet.”

Drax grinned down at Peter and absently pet his hair, “Drax take care of Peter.”

“You do,” Peter agreed, returning the smile, “And I was wet because Logan told me you were at the mouth of the river and then pushed me in, saying I’d just float downstream, that it would be easiest.”

James coughed to hide a laugh, “Where would we find Logan? You mentioned a pub?”

“Yeah,” Peter said, shifting nervously, “It’s called ‘X’. He works the bar. Actually, I think he owns it, too? There are a couple other guys there, Charles and Erik, that for sure own it, but I think Logan has a stake in it.”

Howard groaned, “I know the pub you’re talking about. Charles and Erik are…friends…of a sort. And I’ve heard about Logan.”

Tony wondered what the backstory was there, but figured he could ask another time, “So, we should see if we can get Logan to help us find Erskine?”

The group nodded. Tony turned to Peter, “You already know him, you should come with us.”

Peter’s eyes widened and he shook his head, “Oh, I don’t…uh…maybe not?”

“What’d you do, kid?” James asked, curious.

Peter blushed, voice high pitched as he replied, “Nothing.”

Gamora rolled her eyes, “You should just tell them.”

Tony glanced back at Gamora before walking over to him, putting his hands on the boy’s shoulders, “Kid, you can tell us. What’d you do? How do you know these guys?”

Peter shook his head, “Really, nothing. Er…I just…I accidentally walked in on him and…someone…two someones actually…I didn’t mean to!”

Tony, and the others, laughed, “Kid, I’m sure it’s okay. It’s just embarrassing. Probably more for you than him.”

“No,” Peter shook his head again, “I think it’s why he pushed me in the river.”

Tony moved an arm around the kid’s shoulder, “Still, you at least know what he looks like, so you’re coming with us.”

Peter shifted nervously, but nodded in agreement, “Alright…”

Drax stepped forward, “Drax coming, too.”

Tony nodded, remembering that Drax was from Genosha. He also had some kind of connection with James and Steve. He remembered mention that he and his family had helped them before, “That’s a great idea, you’re more familiar with the city, so you can help us find this pub.”

Drax grinned and nodded. James stood, gently handing Captain to Howard, “I’m coming too. This is about me and Steve, so I wanna be there.”

Everyone else seemed to be in agreement. The rest of the Guardians, Howard, and Jarvis would stay here while Tony, James, Peter, and Drax went to find Logan to see if he would help them locate Erskine.

* * *

“This is it?” Tony asked hesitantly.

Peter nodded, “Yeah, this is ‘X’.”

They were standing in front of a large, rowdy pub. Tony glanced at the kid, “You’re sure?”

“Yeah,” Peter replied, “It was like this before, too. I think this is just how it is.”

Drax nodded, “Drax remembers.”

James shook his head, “Are we goin’ in or what?”

The four entered the pub, James leading the way, then Tony and Peter, with Drax at the back. Tony looked around, trying to find the bar, but the pub was too crowded. James pushed through the crowded room and the others followed in the path he left behind. Tony was surprised, or maybe impressed, at the number of people who just moved out of the other man’s way. He understood why they moved, James was frightening when he blanked his expression. As they made their way through the pub, Tony started to see what appeared to be the bar along the far wall. He nudged James to direct him and the name moved in that direction. Tony could feel Peter huddled closely against his back and hid a snicker. He shook his head when he thought about how the kid was when they first met. Now that he knew him, he didn’t understand how the kid had made it that far with the attempted robbery. As they reached the bar, a man with shaggy hair and long sideburns glanced over at them, then stared, eyes narrowing, before he leapt over the bar, “Kid!”

Tony felt Peter as he huddled closer to him. He wasn’t sure what the man wanted from the kid, and he looked angry. He stayed where he was, in front of the kid, until Peter let out a sigh and stepped out from behind Tony as the unknown man barreled toward them. Peter just looked up with a chagrin look and waved a hand, “Hi, Logan.”

The shaggy haired man, Logan apparently, moved forward quickly and pulled the kid into a bear hug, “It’s good ta see ya, kid. Thought somethin’ must’ve happened when we didn’t see you for so long.”

Peter sagged against the older man in relief, “I thought you were mad at me or something.”

“Why would ya think that, kid?” Logan pulled back and looked the kid up and down, hands on his shoulders, nodding to himself when he saw he was okay.

Peter’s eyes widened, “You…you pushed me into the river!”

Logan let out a husky chuckle, patting Peter’s cheek twice before stepped back, “I did, huh? Well, you wanted to know where the Guardians were. Even though I told you you could stick around. Thought you didn’t wanna see us after you walked in on us.”

Peter’s mouth opened and closed several times before he spoke, “I…I thought…you and Erik were so angry! I thought you didn’t want me around anymore! So I just stayed with the Guardians.”

Drax stepped forward then and put a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “Drax take care of Peter. Peter help Drax with Rocket and Groot.”

Logan grinned at the larger man, showing his teeth, “You did, did ya? You take care of my kid? He looks alright, but can’t be too sure.”

“Drax take care of Peter,” the other man told him with a solemn nod.

Logan nodded back, “Good.”

Peter ran a hand along the back of his neck, “So, you’re really not mad at me?”

Logan chuckled, “Why would we be mad at ya, kid? You walked in on us, I think that’s punishment enough for you. Next time, you’ll remember to knock, right?”

“Yes!” Peter yelped, making Logan and Drax laugh. The kid then rushed forward and threw his arms around Logan’s waist, hugging him, “I’m glad you’re not mad at me. I didn’t like thinking I couldn’t come back to see you.”

“Aw, hell, kid,” Logan began, hugging the kid back, “You’re always welcome here. Now ya know. Chuck and Erik missed you too, ya know.”

“Who did we miss?” A soft, accented voice came from behind the bar. They all turned to see a bald man with blue eyes, almost the same shade of blue as Steve, in a chair with wheels looking at them all curiously.

Logan turned, keeping an arm around Peter’s shoulders, “The kid came home.”

The bald man let out a happy cry as he pushed the wheels and moved out from behind the bar. As he approached, Peter blushed, ducking his head down. The man in the chair stopped when he was right in front of them and grinned at the kid, “None of that, now. You hugged this grumpy bugger, I should get a hug too!”

Peter laughed and leaned down to hug the other man, who just tugged the boy until he was sideways on his lap. Peter let out a yelp, but Logan and the bald man both laughed at him.

“What’s so funny, Charles?” Another man behind the bar had come over, a lighter accent, but more guttural than the bald man’s. He had tousled brown hair and pale blue eyes. His eyes were shuttered and reminded Tony of James in their intensity. The other man was taller than Logan, taller than all of them except Drax, actually. He was cleaning a mug with a rag as he took in their group.

Charles, the bald man in the chair, grinned up at the newcomer, “Erik! Peter’s come home!”

The man behind the bar, Erik, looked at the kid on Charles’s lap and his face softened, “Ah, welcome home, schatz. Charles has been worried.”

Charles huffed out a breath, muttering, “As if I was the only one.”

Logan ran a hand along Charles head, “You know you were the worst of us, Chuck.”

The other man huffed again, “You told me you pushed him into the river, of course I’d be worried after hearing something like that. Why you ever thought that was alright…I hope you’ve learned your lesson.”

Logan flushed and turned away, clearing his throat. Erik smirked as he continued to polish the mug, “Oh, I’m sure he did, liebchen.”

Tony cleared his throat. Logan and Erik zeroed in on him immediately, but Charles continued to smile at and fuss over Peter, who was still on his lap. Tony cleared his throat again, “Peter actually told us about how Logan helped him find the Guardians and we were hoping you’d be able to help us find someone, too.”

Charles clucked his tongue, “Is that what you told them, Peter?”

Peter blushed, “I mean, yeah? It’s true?”

“Did you tell them anything else?” Charles asked.

“Not really?” Peter admitted with a grimace.

Logan snorted, then turned to Tony and James, “What the kid didn’t tell ya is that I’m his pops.”

“I didn’t know you meant it!” Peter cried, shifting until he was able to stand, “I thought you were just nice to me because of Aunt May! I didn’t want to be a burden!”

“Kid,” Logan sighed, “Come ‘ere.”

Logan pulled Peter to him, hugging him to his chest, and whispered in his ear for a few minutes. Tony and James exchanged concerned looks, but wanted to let them work it out amongst themselves. Drax just walked over to Charles and the other man grinned happily up at the other man and chatted with him while they all waited. Erik was behind the bar, running orders but also keeping an eye on the proceedings, so he went back and forth. Eventually, Peter pulled away and wiped his eyes roughly, smiling broadly up at Logan as he nodded. Logan put an arm around the kid’s shoulders and tugged him to his side before turning to Tony and James, “Alright. What is it ya need to find?”

James stepped forward, “A man by the name of Erskine.”

Erik and Charles stared at James, Charles with wide eyes and Erik with suspicion. Logan eyed him cautiously, “Why ya need to find him?”

“He knows something that can help me and a friend,” James told him simply, not wanting to elaborate if he didn’t have to.

Charles wheeled closer to Tony and James, looking up at James before asking, “Is your name James? James Barnes?”

James glanced at the other man and nodded hesitantly before turning back to Logan, “Will you help us? We can pay, if that’s what it takes.”

“Logan, yes,” Charles told the shaggy haired man seriously, “Yes, we need to help them. Abraham has been searching for them too.”

James glared, “Why would he be looking for us? He still working for Hydra?”

Erik snorted from behind the bar, “Abraham swore off any and all contact with Hydra and those connected to it years ago. That’s why he’s in Genosha.”

Before James could say anything else, Tony stepped forward, “We’d appreciate any help in finding him.”

Charles looked at James, understanding on his face, “I can take you to Abraham. He’s been wanting to speak with you for a long time. He’s been trying to find a way to fix what he did. I understand if you don’t trust us, or him, but please, hear him out. He might be able to help you.”

“Yes, that’d be great, thanks,” Tony nodded, turning to James, who just continued to glare, “We need _something_ and if he’s the one who understands what happened, then he’s our best option.”

James looked at Tony for several moments before nodding, “Fine. We can try.”

Logan tugged Peter with him to move behind the bar, “Chuck can handle this. You’re staying here with us. We clearly have things we need to talk about if you thought we wouldn’t want you to come home. Hell, if you thought we didn’t want you here to begin with.”

Peter sighed, not wanting to upset anyone, “It…I just…I didn’t want you to feel obligated…”

As Logan led the kid away, the others couldn’t hear what the older man responded. Erik shot Charles a questioning look, but walked away when he got a nod in return, calling back to Drax, “Drax, why don’t you stay with us and Peter? Let Charles take care of them? We can talk about your travels and how Rocket and Groot are doing.”

Drax nodded and took a seat at the bar, looking around the room with a grin. Charles turned back Tony and James, “If you two will follow me, I can take you to Abraham’s house.”

* * *

Tony and James followed Charles through the streets of Genosha. Neither of them spoke as Charles kept up a steady stream of chatter. He told them about how Genosha came to be a sanctuary for those fleeing Hydra ruled territories, and how it became a haven for many who couldn’t freely walk the streets as they wished. He told them that Shield had allowed the city to act almost as a gateway on the border between their kingdom and Hydra’s territories. The belief was that Hydra wouldn’t dare to attack the city, knowing the retaliation from Shield would be swift and harsh, something they wouldn’t be able to match with their own armies. He kept up the steady commentary until he came to a stop outside a small house on the opposite side of the city from Howard.

Charles turned to them, “Abraham just got back. He’s been traveling, trying to find supplies that could help him create a sort of counter-serum. He seemed excited this time when he returned, but we haven’t seen him since he first came back. It’s been several days at this point. I hope he’s able to provide the help you need.”

Charles wheeled close until he could knock on the door. A minute passed so he tried again, knocking louder this time, muttering to himself about absentminded inventors. After that, they heard something crash from inside the house. Tony glanced at the door nervously. Charles smiled at them reassuringly, “Abraham just tends to be a bit clumsy, it’s alright.”

The door swung open to reveal an older man with almost completely grey hair with thin wireframe glasses. He blinked down at Charles for a few moments, as if processing the scene in front of him, before smiling, his accent similar to Erik’s but much stronger, “Ah, Charles, have you come by for a visit? Only I’m in the middle of an experiment…”

Charles laughed quietly, “Not quite a visit, my friend. I’ve brought some visitors that would like to speak with you, though.”

Erskine looked up and blinked again at the two other men before paling dramatically when he recognized James, “James…”

James shifted, mouth tightening, “Erskine.”

The older man blinked rapidly and turned away, shame evident in the lines of his face. He looked down at Charles, “You’ve brought my greatest regret right to my doorstep, my friend. I don’t know if I should thank you or curse you.”

“I think there’s been enough ‘cursing’,” James said harshly, “Don’t you?”

Erskine closed his eyes tightly, nodding sadly, “Yes, you are correct.”

They stood on his stoop, silently, waiting for the older man to come back to himself, and them. A couple minutes later, he cleared his throat and opened his eyes again, giving James a small, sad smile, “You are, of course, correct. Would you like to come in? I’m sure you have questions.”

Tony nodded, taking James’s arm and practically dragging him inside the house. Charles followed, with Erskine last, closing and locking the door behind them all. He directed them to an adjacent room, the common room, where they could sit and talk. Tony took a seat, but James moved over to one of the windows and leaned against the window frame, arms crossed over his chest. Charles made his way close to the chair Tony was in, looking up at Erskine as he moved, “My friend, would it be possible to beg a cup of tea for myself and my companions?”

Erskine nodded, grateful for something to do, “Yes, I’ll return shortly with your tea. Please, make yourselves comfortable.”

The few minutes that Erskine was out of the room did not help make them comfortable. Tony could tell that James was still on edge, but knew nothing could really help, at least until they found out what the older man knew. And if he’d be willing to help. If he _knew_ anything that _could _help. When Erskine returned, he set a tray with a teapot and four cups on the table along the side of the room. Once he and Charles were settled in with their tea, Tony and James declined the offer, Erskine cleared his throat, “I would…like to…explain what happened, if I may?”

James let out a near growl, but didn’t say anything. Tony glanced at him, but then turned his attention back to Erskine. The older man removed his glasses and cleaned them on his shirt, “I never meant to create such a torturous serum. I was 35 when Hydra took control of the City. I was too old for them to consider taking into their army, but I was an inventor, so they took me into the organization anyway. They wanted me to create weapons for them, but I had never been an inventor of such things. I was more an inventor of medicines and treatments. It didn’t take long before they wanted me to create serums and treatments they could use to improve their armies and weaken their enemies.”

James did growl this time, glaring at the older man, “Some of the guys called you Doctor Death. Did you know that?”

Erskine sighed heavily, “I became aware, yes. What choice did I have at the time? What choice did any of us have? I could have created for Hydra or been killed for not doing so.”

James turned away again, but nodded, whispering, “I know…”

“I never meant for that serum to be used in such a way,” Erskine told them all, but kept his attention on James, “I never meant to give you away to Pierce. I…I was weak, and he used that weakness against me.”

Tony looked between the two men, “What happened?”

James turned back to face the group, “Steve and I would go out. We’d try to at least once a week, go to Howard’s place. He had the main restaurant open to the public, but there was a bar in the basement that he only allowed certain customers into.”

“Steve told me about your first date there,” Tony told him, “I didn’t know my dad did that, before Steve told me. I think I would’ve been four or five then, but I don’t remember any of it.”

“You were,” James told him with a smile, “Howard talked about you all the time, but he never took you to the bar, and that’s about the only place we could see each other anymore. We decided it was too dangerous for him to bring you, so we never saw you.”

Tony nodded, then gestured for him to continue. James sighed, staring into the distance as he remembered, “Steve and I would meet up and go get dinner at Howard’s ‘cause it was about the only place we could really be together. We’d have to be careful getting back to the castle, and had to always watch how much we had to drink so we wouldn’t give anything away outside the bar. I always tried to get us back early enough that one of my guys was on duty. They didn’t care. Hell, half of ‘em we even met up with at Howard’s anyway. My team was always on duty until midnight, then one of the other teams would rotate in, so as long as we got back by then, we’d be safe. My team had early hours, so we’d get the early watch. It worked, for the most part. We’d get back in time and I’d walk Steve back to his wing. It was late enough that no one else was wandering the halls. There were only a couple times when we’d run into anyone else and it was usually Erskine. We’d talk a few minutes and then each go our own way. One night, Steve and I weren’t as careful as we should have been and Erskine saw us in…a compromising position.”

* * *

**_THEN_ **

_********Bucky and Steve waved to Jarvis as they left Howard’s place. Neither spoke as they walked through the main restaurant, wishing the hostess a pleasant night as they passed, and out onto the street. Steve looked up at Bucky, flushed from the warmth of the basement, the affection they had been able to share inside, and pride at completing another of his paintings for Pierce. This one made the seventh finished painting. He’d finished the first one, of Pierce on his throne, then the second, of Bucky and his Howling Commandos training in the yard. After that, the next few were of different buildings: the castle, the barracks, the chapel. Then he’d done one of a feast in the main hall. This latest one was of Pierce with some of the soldiers flanking him. It had taken him about a little more than a month, close to a month and a half, for all but the buildings, each of those had only take a month. In that time, Bucky had spent as much time with Steve as he could, when neither of them were working. He would always spend some time with Steve when he was out in the yard, working on his sketches and they had a standing date at Howard’s at least once a week. After Howard’s, Bucky would always walk Steve back to his wing and wish him pleasant dreams. It took everything in him to not try for more, but they were both aware of the danger._

_Bucky knew he was in love with the small artist, but he also knew that they had to be careful. They couldn’t be together publicly, especially with the interest Pierce had shown in Steve. The man had become almost obsessed with Steve in the months since he’d commissioned the artist. Bucky thought he enjoyed how powerful Steve’s art made him seem. The older man’s interest, though, meant that the biweekly visits Steve made to his ma’s had been cut down to once a month because Pierce didn’t like to let Steve leave the City. Sure, he used some excuse or another, but Bucky knew it was because of his obsession. He had also noticed Pierce watching Steve whenever they were in the same room. It was disconcerting, how Pierce would zero in on the artist and just…stare. He wasn’t sure what the man meant by it. Couldn’t tell if he wanted Steve in the same way that Bucky did, or if he saw him as a possession, something to increase his status, and nothing more. Pierce never liked to share his things, so that would make sense, in a way._

_“Buck?”_

_Bucky blinked and looked down at Steve, not realizing that he’d been so lost in thought that he’d missed what Steve was talking about, “Sorry, what?”_

_Steve let out a sweet laugh, “Nothing, was just wondering what you were thinking about, that’s all.”_

_Bucky threw an arm around Steve’s shoulders, “Nothing to worry ‘bout, Stevie.”_

_Steve pouted up at him, “I’d still like to know, though. If you want to share, that is. It doesn’t just have to be something I’d be worried about, you know. I just…want to help if I can, even if it’s just listening.”_

_Bucky was so tempted to press a kiss to Steve’s temple, but knew he couldn’t, not here. Not in the open. He shook his head and removed his arm, “I’ll tell you inside?”_

_Steve smiled at the compromise, “Yeah, okay.”_

_They continued their walk back to the castle. Bucky calling out to the soldier on duty to be let in through the training grounds. Dum Dum was on duty tonight. He grinned as Bucky and Steve walked by, tipping his hat and winking at the pair, “Have a good night, you two.”_

_Bucky rolled his eyes and waved over his shoulder, “You too, Dum Dum. See you in the morning.”_

_As they walked into the castle and made their way through the halls, Bucky couldn’t keep his eyes off Steve. Steve, noticing Bucky’s attention, bit his lip to hide a grin, but that was it for Bucky. He groaned and, after a quick look around, grabbed Steve around the waist and pulled him into one of the side hallways, leaning the smaller man back against the wall and crowding close, hands holding Steve’s hips. Steve let out a startled breath, hands moving to grip Bucky’s shoulders. Bucky looked into those beautiful, bright blue eyes and leaned down, resting his forehead against Steve’s, just breathing with him, holding him close._

_“Bucky,” Steve breathed, clutching him tight to him, “What are you doing? We can’t…”_

_Bucky tilted his head so he could look into Steve’s eyes, but not have to move away, speaking quietly, “Do you want me to stop? I’ll-”_

_“No!” Steve cried out quietly when Bucky moved to step back, hands pulling him closer, “Don’t. I…I like it. Stay. Just…what if someone sees?”_

_Bucky nuzzled against Steve’s hair, “No one’s around, and it’s just for a minute.”_

_Steve nodded, tilting his head back and running his lips gently along Bucky’s jawline, “Just a minute.”_

_Bucky shuddered, leaning down to run his nose along Steve’s, nodding, “Just…a…”_

_Then Steve brushed his lips across Bucky’s. Bucky felt almost electrified at the touch. He tilted his head so their lips would brush again. Steve let out a sweet sigh and practically melted against him. Bucky brushed their lips together again, this time pressing a bit harder, before moving them away again. He felt Steve’s hands clench against his shoulders and smirked before letting their lips settle together. Steve sighed again and moved his lips against Bucky’s, letting the other man take the lead in this new dance. Bucky was about to take Steve’s lower lip between his when a crash came from down the hall, but close, almost beside them. Bucky jumped back, steadying Steve when it looked like he was going to fall, then moving away again. He turned to see Abraham Erskine, one of Hydra’s scientists and inventors, standing at the mouth of the hallway. The other man’s mouth was open in surprise and there was the remains of a ceramic mug and what smelled like peppermint tea on the floor. Bucky grimaced. He ran a hand on the back of his neck, “Erskine. I…this isn’t what it looks like.”_

_The other man stepped back, ignoring the shards of mug on the floor, “No, I’m sure it’s not. I…should be going.”_

_Steve stepped forward, reaching out briefly before his hand dropped back to his side, “Abraham, wait. Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?”_

_The other man stared, confused, at Steve for several moments before blinking down at the mug, “Oh. No, no, I’m okay. Thank you for your concern, Steven. I should…be going.”_

_At that, Erskine quickly left them alone in the hall. Steve turned panicked eyes to Bucky, “Is he going to tell Pierce? What if he tells Pierce? We should go, Buck! What if Pierce finds out?”_

_Bucky stepped closer and pulled Steve to him, hugging him tight, “It’s okay, Steve. We don’t know if Erskine will tell him, but I don’t think we have anything to fear right now. There should be something, some notice or sign that something is happening, but it’s already late, and Erskine wouldn’t wake Pierce for this. He wouldn’t. I’ll be sure to keep an eye out, though, okay? I’ll keep us safe, Steve. I won’t let anything hurt you. I’ve got you.”_

_“We should just leave,” Steve’s voice was muffled against his chest, “He can’t do anything to us if we’re not here.”_

_“We’ll be okay,” Bucky told him, trying to believe it himself. They really didn’t know what Pierce would do if he found out._

_Once they’d both collected themselves, Bucky walked him the remaining distance to his wing and left him with a gentle smile and a promise that he would be careful. As he walked back to the barracks, he thought about what they would do if Erskine did tell Pierce. Steve’s idea to just leave now sounded good, but they couldn’t just disappear. Pierce knew where their families were, and Bucky didn’t want to chance him going after them if he found them gone and wanted some sort of…revenge or something. He lied awake for hours thinking about what was to come. Hoping that Erskine kept the knowledge to himself._

* * *

_The next day, Bucky and his team were sent on a training exercise for the week. His first thought was that Erskine had told Pierce and he was getting Bucky out of there, but then he remembered that this was their regularly scheduled training. He was just so nervous, and a little paranoid. While he was gone, he thought about Steve. Did Steve regret the kiss? Did he regret seeing Bucky? It got worse as the week went on. He didn’t want to be something Steve regretted. He loved him, he wanted him to be happy. His mind kept going over all of the possibilities while he was away. It was only when they returned a week later, and he saw Steve on his normal tree stump, sketching, that it just clicked. He had to talk to Steve, he couldn’t let these insecurities control him, and he wasn’t about to just leave Steve without knowing if it was what he wanted or not. He didn’t even know why he was thinking that Steve had to regret it. Nothing in their interaction had made him think that, not really. He started to think it was just the fear of Pierce that made him worry so much._

_When he and the Commandos entered the yard, there were cheers and jeers like usual, but then Steve looked up and beamed. Bucky almost melted then and there. He loved that smile. It lit Steve up like a beacon. He wanted nothing more than to go straight to him, but knew he couldn’t. He and his team went through their debrief, as usual, and he went back out into the yard. Steve was gone by the time he made it back outside, but he knew he’d find him in his studio. He stayed in the yard with the men for a bit. They had noticed something was off during their training, but hadn’t pushed him for answers. They, again, expressed their concern, but he waved it off, telling them it was better now that he was back and they realized it must have been something with Steve, so they didn’t ask anything more. As soon as their concerns were laid to rest, he went inside to find Steve, thinking he’d given him enough time that it wouldn’t be obvious. He made sure to keep an eye out for anyone else in the halls, more vigilant this time, as he made his way to Steve’s wing. He knocked softly at the door before opening it. He knew Steve might not hear him and didn’t want him to have to stop what he was working on just to let him in. When he came in, he saw Steve standing in front of a blank canvas. Steve immediately turned and grinned at him, dropping his pencil as he rushed over and threw his arms around Bucky’s neck. Bucky hugged him tight for several moments before pulling back, but keeping his hands on his hips, “Miss me?”_

_Steve rolled his eyes, but nodded with a sweet smile, “Of course I did.”_

_Then Steve turned his head a bit and tilted his cheek so it was presented to Bucky. Bucky let out a laugh and leaned down to press his lips against that soft cheek. Steve’s grin looked like it would hurt if he smiled that large for much longer. Bucky leaned down to rest his forehead against the smaller man’s, talking quietly to him, “I’m sorry I had to leave. We didn’t get a chance to talk about what happened.”_

_Steve shook his head, “It’s okay, we knew you had training coming up, I think we just lost track of time.”_

_The smaller man bit his lip and spoke again, “I talked to Abraham.”_

_Bucky pulled back, eyes wide, “You did?”_

_“Yeah,” Steve told him, then smoothed his hands along Bucky’s shoulders, trying to soothe him through his touch, “I mean, not about…you know…but just in general. He seemed normal, maybe a little hesitant at first, but I don’t think he’s going to say anything.”_

_“We’ll have to be more careful, though,” Bucky said, grimacing, “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t thinking the other night.”_

_“I know,” Steve smirked devilishly, hands moving down to smooth along Bucky’s chest, “I think we were both a little preoccupied.”_

_Bucky moved his hands to trap Steve’s against his chest, “We shouldn’t.”_

_Steve pouted up at him, “Why not? We’re not in the hall. No one can get in here. I’m the only one with a key. Did you lock the door when you came in?”_

_Bucky shook his head, then grinned when Steve walked over to the door and turned the lock before walking back, “There, we’re locked in now.”_

_“Oh?” Bucky asked innocently, moving closer to Steve, “Why would that matter?”_

_Steve grinned up at him, but a knock on the door stopped him from speaking. His eyes grew wide as he waved frantically at Bucky, gesturing for him to hide behind a stack of canvases along one wall. There were enough that he should be hidden from view. Once he was settled behind the canvases, Steve walked to the door and unlocked it, forcing a smile when he saw it was Pierce, “Mr. Pierce, sir, it’s nice of you to stop by.”_

_Pierce gave one of his cardboard smiles, “Steven, I came to see how everything is going.”_

_Steve stepped aside and allowed Pierce into the studio. He left the door open, not wanting to give any sign that he welcomed prolonged visits, and followed the man as he walked toward the blank canvas in the middle of the room. He also definitely didn’t want to be shut in a room with Pierce, even with Bucky there. Pierce turned to him and gestured at the canvas, disappointment on his face, “No progress on this one?”_

_Steve held back the scowl that wanted to show and instead just smiled blankly, “Well, I just finished that one of you and the Strike Teams, so wanted to take some time to sketch and plan out the next one, though I’m going to go ahead and prepare the canvas for when the design is final.”_

_Pierce nodded, as if in agreement, “What have you been thinking for this one?”_

_Steve walked over to the window bench and grabbed his sketchbook, flipping to a page that had the Hydra insignia, tilting it to show Pierce, “I was thinking I might do the Hydra insignia, but hadn’t decided if I wanted to do it as a background for something or a standalone piece.”_

_The older man stared at the sketch, taking the book from Steve’s hands and holding it closer, “Yes, that could work, though I’d say it should be by itself, with nothing else to take away the greatness of Hydra.”_

_Steve smiled, “That’s what I was leaning toward, so that’s great. I appreciate your input on these as well, you know that.”_

_Pierce smiled blandly down at Steve before his attention went back to the sketchbook. Steve felt a cold chill up his spine when he realized exactly what Pierce held in his hands. He didn’t want to seem too eager to get it back, but he definitely didn’t want Pierce to flip through it. He had so many sketches of Bucky in there, even a few of him without his tunic, from when he practiced in the yard with his men. Steve had been wanting to ask the other man to pose nude for him, but hadn’t worked up the courage yet. Now was he glad, because that would probably have been the next page in the book if he’d asked already. Pierce started to turn one of the pages, but luckily it was of Strike Team Two doing some of their exercises in the yard. There was at least a little buffer, as Bucky had been gone last week, so he had more generic sketches, interspersed with some component sketches of Bucky. Mostly his eyes and lips, though. Oh God. He was about to reach for the book when someone knocked on the doorframe. Steve was so surprised that he startled and fell against Pierce for a moment. The book was knocked to the ground as Pierce grabbed Steve’s waist to steady him. Steve turned red and quickly backed away, stuttering apologies. Pierce turned to the door and saw Rumlow standing there. Steve glanced at the soldier as he picked up his sketchbook and set it on the window bench again._

_“Sir, it’s time for your next meeting,” Rumlow explained to Pierce._

_The older man nodded, “Yes, of course.”_

_He turned back to Steve and gave another of his bland smiles, “Steven, always a pleasure. I look forward to seeing the glory of Hydra when you’ve finished this next painting.”_

_Steve nodded, “Of course, sir. Thanks for stopping by. As always, your input was invaluable.”_

_Pierce stared for a moment longer before turning and leaving with Rumlow. When he could no longer hear them, Steve quietly closed the door and turned the lock, turning back to the room, “Buck?”_

_Bucky came out from behind the canvases. Steve smiled weakly, “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting him.”_

_“Does he always just show up like that?” Bucky asked, walking toward Steve._

_“Yeah, but now that he’s come by, he probably won’t visit again until I’m close to finished,” Steve told him, “He usually tries to come by to see how things are starting and then again when I’m almost finished. I think it makes him feel more involved in the process.”_

_Bucky snorted, “I can’t believe you gave him your sketchbook, though.”_

_“I forgot it what else was in it,” Steve admitted sheepishly, “And I hoped if I showed him my idea, he’d leave faster.”_

_Bucky laughed, reaching out to hug the shorter man, rubbing his cheek against Steve’s hair, “You’re ridiculous, you punk, did you know that?”_

_Steve shrugged, “Yeah, but so are you, jerk, so it works great.”_

_They just stayed and took comfort in each other for several minutes before Steve asked, voice muffled against Bucky’s chest, “Will you pose nude for me?”_

_Bucky barked out a laugh and just hugged Steve close, “Sure, Stevie. Whatever you want.”_


	8. VIII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! A warning: there's torture and human experimentation in this chapter. It's not explicit, but I wanted to give the warning.
> 
> I think things will move rather quickly after this chapter. I’m hoping to get at least one chapter written this weekend, but might end up finishing if I can stay in the mindset. I think there’s only 2-3 chapters left, and maybe an epilogue. 
> 
> I’m going to King Richard’s Faire next Saturday, so won’t be posting until Sunday.

“Things seemed to return to normal,” James told them, “Steve worked on sketching the insignia and I had my normal training. It went on like that for a few weeks before I was called before Pierce.”

The haunted look on James’s face made Tony shudder, “Wh-what happened?”

“You were in the dungeons, Tony,” James told him matter-of-factly, “I’m sure you know at least some of what happened, but, back then, they cared less about getting information and more about giving pain. Hydra had made a name for themselves in having obedient soldiers, and that’s what they wanted to make me. I _still_ don’t remember everything they did, but it’s where I got at least half my scars and my shiny metal arm.”

* * *

** _THEN_ **

_****Bucky tried to hide his nervousness as he was led to Pierce’s office. Rumlow had found him in the training yard and told him that Pierce wanted to speak with him about his last training exercise, but Bucky knew it had to be more than that. They’d already had their debrief on the exercise, and Pierce never wanted to meet with the soldiers unnecessarily. He could only nod and follow the other soldier, though. If he didn’t, not only would he practically be admitting to some wrongdoing, but Pierce and the Strike Teams would come after him to find out exactly why he didn’t follow orders. Even if he did refuse to follow, there wasn’t much he could have done with the other soldiers around. Even if he’d tried to run, he wouldn’t have made it very far. And Steve would still be here. He would never leave without Steve._

_They made their way through the castle until they reached the heavy wooden door that Bucky knew was Pierce’s office. Rumlow knocked, only opening it when they heard the faint voice inviting them inside. As usual, the first step into the office gave the impression that visitors were there at Pierce’s command and would only leave if he wished it. The man himself sat behind a large, heavy wooden desk, almost framed by the deep red of the window drapes behind him. The Hydra insignia was painted proudly, menacingly, on the wall to their right. Other Strike Team members were fanned throughout the room. Bucky took in a sharp breath when he saw Erskine in the corner. The other man looked just as nervous as Bucky felt. Shit. He’d told Pierce._

_They waited in silence while Pierce finished whatever it was he was writing, the very picture of a man who knew the world would wait until his say so. When he set aside his pen and looked up, he gave one of those bland smiles that Bucky hated so much, the ones that were meant to show that he didn’t care about the impression he gave others because he was the one with the power, “Ah, Barnes. Come. Have a seat.”_

_Bucky hesitated long enough that Rumlow grabbed his shoulders and moved him to the chair in front of the desk, shoving him down into it and moving into parade rest in front of the door. Bucky glanced around again before meeting Pierce’s eyes, “Sir. What can I do for you?”_

_Pierce’s smile shifted, gaining a sharp edge to it, “Ah, straight to it, then. Well, Barnes, I’ve heard some things lately, about you coveting something that isn’t yours, and I thought we could set the record straight.”_

_Bucky shifted, “Sir?”_

_“No need for formalities here, Barnes,” the older man told him, “Not when you’ve been going behind my back, trying to take something of mine. I’ve seen you talking with him, but I thought, they’re just being friendly. I thought, Barnes is just helping him get a better picture of what Hydra is. Then Abraham, here, told me you deigned to put your hands on him, on my artist.”_

_Bucky sucked in a breath, but didn’t respond. He let his expression go blank, as he did for missions, cutting himself off from his emotions. Pierce smirked at him, “I see you know exactly what I’m talking about.”_

_Pierce gave a sigh, as if disappointed, and leaned back in his chair, “There’s no need to respond to these charges, I’ve heard plenty about your disgusting habits to know what must have happened. You’ve taken advantage of Steven. I would have expected it of him, he’s only an artist, and everyone knows they’re not the most…well, we can’t say they have the same values as we do, can we? It’s in the nature of artists, is it not? This weakness? This…abnormality…but we allow it for the immortality they can grant us. But you, Barnes, you are a soldier of Hydra. You should be above such things.”_

_They’d known, he and Steve, that Pierce didn’t like anything he considered abnormal. That had been a large part of their fear in being discovered. They’d seen what Pierce and Hydra did to those outside their standards. But to hear this strange double standard of his…how he almost expected Steve to like men, but would allow it for the sake of what he considered his immortality, for his benefit…a shiver ran down his back as he considered what Pierce had planned to do once Steve finished his commission. Had he already planned out how he was going to be rid of him? No, Pierce wouldn’t consider it worth the time._

_Pierce continued, “We have ways to help you, James. You can still be of service to Hydra. Abraham has discovered a serum that, when paired with the appropriate training, will make the perfect soldier. It gets rid of all those inconvenient inefficiencies that make up the personality. I believe this is just what you need.”_

_Bucky’s mouth dropped open in surprise, “What?”_

_“Yes,” Pierce told him with that sharp grin of his, “We’ve been needing to run trials, but have been reviewing candidates. You’ve been chosen as the first test subject, based on your…unique situation.”_

_“You…you can’t just…” Bucky tried to protest and stood, knocking the chair backwards, but Rumlow, faster than he’d thought possible, reached out and jabbed him in the neck with a needle before depressing the plunger and injecting him with…whatever it was. His vision began to blur immediately and his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He felt Rumlow lowering him to the ground, not realizing that he’d been falling before that moment. He tried to say something, but couldn’t. His tongue and lips no longer cooperating. As his vision darkened, the last thing he heard was Pierce commanding, “Take him to the dungeons so we can start.”_

* * *

_Bucky woke to raw, fiery pain along his left side. He blinked open his eyes and found himself staring into darkness. He blinked again, but it remained dark. He realized that he couldn’t see. Almost immediately after that, he realized he couldn’t move. He felt straps across his legs, his hips, his chest and shoulders, his forehead. There could feel a heaviness along his left side that he hadn’t had before, but it was hard to focus through the pain. He blinked, trying to clear his mind, to remember what had happened before he woke here, but found everything was hazy. He could see the outline of a man, but that was all. He heard movement and whispers in the distance, but couldn’t stop the darkness from taking him again._

* * *

_The next time he woke, he was no longer in the dark. Instead, there was a bright light, so bright it hurt his eyes. He tried to close his eyes against the light, but found he couldn’t._

_“Ah, there he is.”_

_The voice was somehow familiar, but he couldn’t understand how. He tried to focus on the man in front of him, but couldn’t. The man moved closer, but he couldn’t focus past the light. He shifted his muscles and quickly realized he was strapped to a chair. He felt a leather strap between his teeth and wanted to spit it out. The other man must have seen something on his face because he tutted, “None of that now, Soldat. That’s to help you. And since we’re being real nice like that, I think you should thank us.”_

_He blinked in confusion and felt the muscles around his mouth move, but couldn’t speak because of the strap. The man sounded smug when he spoke again, “It seems the first serum has done its job. Well done, Abraham.”_

_He noticed another shadow of a man, now that the one in front of him mentioned him. The other man was standing behind the first man, but didn’t move closer. He sounded…nervous, upset…at the praise from the first man when he replied, “Thank you, sir.”_

_The first man reached out a hand and ran it over his head, through his hair, gripping tightly, “Now, we’re going to try something a little new, Soldat. Programming will be difficult, painful, but it will be worth it in the end. You’ll be our greatest achievement. Rumlow, commence phase one.”_

_His teeth clenched as an unimaginable pain ripped through him. He now knew the leather strap was there to help him. The world went dark again._

* * *

_After that, each time he woke, there was some new level of pain, but he never remembered what caused it, only that his existence was pain._

* * *

James grew silent. Tony couldn’t even imagine what the man had gone through. He had tears on his face and saw Charles and Erskine did as well. He knew his own time with Hydra was gentle compared to this.

“I don’t know what they did,” James told them, “but by the time I was aware enough, it was only to receive orders, which I carried out without hesitation. I guess saying I was aware isn’t really true. Like Pierce had said, I became the perfect soldier for Hydra. I followed orders. I didn’t even really know I had a self outside of that. I don’t know how long it was – days, weeks, months even – before they decided I could be trusted to train with the others again, but they did eventually decide I had enough training and programming that I could be trusted with others again. My team had been broken up and reassigned to other Strike Teams in the time I’d been gone. They made sure I never had one team I would work with, they didn’t want me building relationships like that. They gave me to the teams that needed the most help at the time and told them I was a weapon to be directed. I found out later, from Steve, that I’d been gone for two months before he saw me again, and that was only in passing when I was called into the main hall one morning to intimidate some of Pierce’s guests. They’d been told about his recent success in creating the perfect soldier, so he brought me out to show them. As always, Steve was there. I only remember seeing a devasted look of surprise on his face before I ignored him altogether. It took another month before the programming started to break down.”

“Why? Do you know why?” Tony asked, disgusted at Pierce and Hydra, more so than he’d been before. That they had tried, and succeeded on some level, to erase who this man was…to make him a weapon…

“Steve,” James told him with a sad smile, “It was seeing Steve. The more I saw him, the more the programming broke down. When I first saw him, he was pale and thin. So thin. He looked almost lifeless. I didn’t realize it at the time, but the…glow…he normally had was gone. That light that drew everyone to him. It wasn’t there anymore. But, as bad as that was, over that month, each time I saw him, he looked worse. He was kept a prisoner at that point, only allowed out for meals and painting, or when Pierce wanted to show off his personal artist. He was never alone. He had a guard with him everywhere he went. Pierce didn’t want to risk him trying to run away.”

James went silent for a moment before continuing, “About halfway through that month, Pierce decided that I would be Steve’s escort and guard. He was secure enough in the programming at that point that he wanted to use me to punish Steve. I wasn’t Steve’s Bucky anymore, and he knew that would hurt him more than anything else he could do to him, because by then, I only really knew of myself as Soldat and Pierce hated that Steve had wanted someone other than him, even if he didn’t want Steve the same way. Steve was only a plaything to him.”

Another pause as James tried to gather his thoughts.

“It was Steve, though, who brought me back to myself,” James explained, “It was one of the days I was taking him back to his studio after breakfast. It was the first time he’d really spoken to me after the _programming_. He’d tried, several times, to get me to respond to my name, but it never worked and he usually stopped after a while, but that day…he didn’t give up.”

* * *

_"Bucky?”_

_He continued walking, keeping his awareness on those around him. He did wonder, briefly, who the little artist was speaking to when there was no one else around. It was almost as if he was speaking to him, but that wasn’t what he was called._

_“Buck, listen to me,” the artist whispered desperately._

_He continued leading the man back to his studio. Pierce had him watching the tiny artist for a few days now, leading him to and from the main hall for meals and making sure he was working in his studio. He didn’t know what the man was painting, but it seemed almost…sad…angry…both? It had angered Pierce on his last visit to the man, the first visit he’d taken Soldat with him. The artist had paled so much that Soldat had asked if he should get the doctor. Pierce had just laughed and said no, that he was hoping the artist, Steven, would be more motivated to work if he had Soldat watching over him. It wasn’t his place to question, yet he’d had several questions pass through his mind. They were quickly lost, but it had been…confusing. He’d quickly masked any distraction from Pierce’s orders. Since he’d been watching over the artist, though, the smaller man had been working fiercely on the painting. Pierce seemed pleased when Soldat reported that to him._

_“Please, talk to me!” The artist whispered again._

_Soldat glanced at the man out of the corner of his eye and saw tears running down his cheeks. Why would the small man be crying? He continued on and the artist didn’t speak again until they were inside the studio._

_“Bucky,” the artist began, but stopped, biting his lip before continuing, “Soldat, is that what they’re calling you?”_

_“Yes,” Soldat responded simply, standing at parade rest in front of the door, head tilted curiously at the small man, unsure of what he wanted._

_The artist breathed in deeply and let out a harsh, watery laugh, “Right. Okay. So, you don’t remember being called Bucky?”_

_“I am Soldat,” he told the man plainly._

_“Yes,” the artist returned, hands running through his short blonde hair, drawing Soldat’s eye before he blanked his face again, “I…we know each other. I called you Bucky. You don’t remember?”_

_“No,” he told him, then explained further, though he wasn’t sure why he did so, “I have only ever been Soldat.”_

_The artist turned away, moving to the canvas, which was turned so it faced the windows, not the door. Soldat wondered what the artist was painting before remembering it wasn’t his place to do so. It never used to be so hard to remember his place. He watched as the man clumsily grabbed the canvas and walked closer, turning it to show him. It was…beautiful, he realized. It showed a man who looked remarkably similar to himself. The man was laughing, eyes full of happiness. Both his arms were flesh. He felt a lurch in his chest and a pain in his head. What was this? What was the small man showing him?_

_The artist looked at him, eyes stubborn and hard in his determination, “This is Bucky. This is you. You _are_ Bucky.”_

_Soldat felt a pain spike through his head and couldn’t stop himself from reaching a hand up to his temple, as if to hold in the pain. He blinked at the tiny artist, “What are you doing? Stop.”_

_The man gave another watery laugh, “I’m trying to find you. I don’t know what they did to you, but…you were gone for…weeks…almost two months…and when you came back, you were…this. This…perfect Hydra soldier. I’m trying to help you. This isn’t you. _You are Bucky_.”_

_Soldat let out a small growl as the pain in his head intensified, bringing him to his knees, “Why are you doing this?”_

_The artist rushed forward, dropping to kneel in front of him, reaching up to cup his cheeks in his small, softly calloused hands, tears falling, “I’m sorry. I don’t know what they did to you. I’m just trying to remind you of who you are. I…I need you, Buck. Please. Come back to me.”_

_“And who do you think I am?” Soldat demanded, fingers gripping his hair at the pain nearly blinding him._

_“You’re…you’re the Training Sergeant. You’re James Buchanan Barnes. You had your own team, the Howling Commandos, and you were like brothers to each other before Pierce split you up. You’re a brother and a son. You’re a friend. You’re funny and sweet. You try to take care of everyone when you can. You like helping people, even if it’s something small. You’re my best friend, my lover. You’re my Bucky,” the artist told him, continuing to speak, but he could no longer understand through the pain. It was a mercy when he finally passed out._

* * *

_“-ucky?”_

_“Bu-”_

_“-hear me?”_

_“-kay?”_

* * *

_He groaned when he came to._

_“Oh my God, Bucky!”_

_He turned his head toward the voice, “-teve?”_

_A sharp gasp filled the almost silent room._

_“Bucky? Do you…remember me?”_

_He groaned again, pain almost overwhelming him, “Stevie? What happened?”_

_A sob filled the air and he felt the small body of his lover as he threw himself against his chest. He blinked, waiting for the haze to leave his vision. Why was Steve crying? He felt a spike of pain in his head and images came to him. He grew more and more horrified as he remembered what he’d been forced to do as Soldat. What Pierce had done to _turn him into_ Soldat. His arms came up around Steve and he held him tight, “It’s okay, Stevie. I’m here now. I remember. Shhh…”_

_He whispered nonsensical things to the small man trying to burrow into him. He heard Steve murmuring similar things to him through his sobs as well and couldn’t stop the affectionate smile that broke out at that. Several minutes passed before Steve calmed down. He continued to run his hand along his spine, trying to soothe him with the touch._

_“Bucky?”_

_“Yeah, doll?” He asked teasingly, knowing Steve would believe it was truly him now. He’d always called Steve “doll” even though the man would blush and stammer. Really, that made him do it even more. But he also knew they were the only ones who would know to call him that, and Soldat wouldn’t have been able to fake teasing like that. Not with the programming._

_Steve let out a cry and clung tighter to him, “It really is you. It’s you. You’re back. Oh God, Buck, you’re you again.”_

_“Yeah,” he replied quietly, “I’m me again. Promise.”_

_They clung to each other in silence for several minutes before Steve pulled back, leaning over him to meet his eyes, his own still wet from his tears, “I thought…I didn’t know what happened to you. Pierce came and told me you weren’t a problem anymore and that I could focus on my paintings now, and you were gone, Buck, for _months_. When I saw you again, I…and then you…you didn’t know me…and your arm…Buck, I’m so sorry, I couldn’t do anything! I’m so sorry!”_

_Bucky just shushed him gently, “I know, Stevie. And…well…I’m not sure I’m alright, but I’m better now, with you. Things were…well…”_

_He quietly explained everything, from being taken to Pierce’s office to them replacing his arm with this metal one to being tortured to not remembering anything outside of his missions. Steve cried some more, but mostly just listened. Bucky could feel horror at what he’d done, but it all seemed like someone else had done it. He told Steve that and the other man just cuddled closer. He told Steve about how his programming had started to break down since he’d seen him again. How he’d had so many questions and thoughts that had confused him because he knew he wasn’t supposed to have them. Then Steve drew in a stuttered breath and told Bucky about what happened to him while Bucky was gone. He told him about what happened after Pierce told him Bucky wasn’t a problem anymore. He told him about being confined to his room and the studio when he wasn’t being dragged to the main hall. He told him that he couldn’t eat much when Bucky asked why he was so thin now. He told him that he was afraid to eat sometimes when he saw Pierce just watching him. He told him how Pierce would come and taunt him almost daily before he assigned Soldat to guard him. They both knew Pierce had assigned him as punishment for them both, even if Soldat didn’t know it, couldn’t feel it._

_Bucky told him that Soldat was a completely different person, that it was as if he were two people. He had the memories from Soldat, but it was as if he were watching someone else. Neither knew if he would come back. It was complicated to think about and made his already pounding head ache even more._

_“We should leave,” Steve told him, still quietly, as neither wanted to disrupt the almost peaceful atmosphere of the studio._

_Bucky nodded, “Yeah, but how? And when?”_

_“Now, as soon as we can,” Steve pleaded, eyes desperate, “Please. I can’t…I can’t stay here any longer. Please.”_

_Bucky thought it over. It was late enough that there would be few patrols, and Hydra firmly believed Soldat was under their control. He was silent as he planned out their escape. Steve just watched as he worked through different scenarios in his head, knowing to let him work through everything on his own. It was several minutes later that he finally nodded, “Alright. I think I have a plan.”_

* * *

“I walked him through the halls and no one questioned me,” James explained to others, “They knew Soldat could only move with orders, so they all assumed I had orders to take Steve to Pierce or something. We were able to make it out through the training yard after I hid Steve away while I told the guard on duty that I was to take over.”

“No one questioned you?” Charles asked, incredulous.

James shook his head, “Again, they believed that I was Soldat, and Soldat needed orders to do anything. I was made to be a weapon, to be controlled, and that’s what they saw.”

“What happened when you escaped?” Tony asked, nervous for what was still to come. Something else had to have happened, because at this point, they hadn’t been given the serum that turned them into hawk and wolf. He knew there was nothing they could do about what had happened, but he felt so nervous and wished there was something he could do to at least soften what was still to come.

“We were able to make our way through the City,” James continued their story, “I didn’t want to go to Howard’s, didn’t want to lead Hydra there, so we just kept close to the buildings, stayed in the shadows, and made our way toward the main gates. There were visitors coming and going at all times, day and night, so I figured we could just get a ride on one of the wagons when they were leaving. Once we were outside City walls, we’d have a better chance.”

* * *

_“See that one, there?” Bucky pointed at one of the covered wagons waiting to leave the City. He continued at Steve’s nod, “We’ll use that one. You can slip in through the curtains at the back and I can ride the undercarriage. There’s plenty of space for me to hold on.”_

_Steve bit his lip nervously, but nodded, accepting that Bucky knew what he was talking about, “Alright. When should we go?”_

_“We’ll wait for the guard to do his walkaround. He’ll open the back and look in to make sure there are no stowaways or anything like that, and we can use that time to approach and, when he walks back around the other side, you can get in and I’ll get into place,” Bucky explained._

_“Why can’t you just come in, too?” Steve asked, eyes wide, afraid that they’d be caught. Or that Bucky would get hurt._

_Bucky shook his head, “If someone’s inside, they’ll be less likely to say anything if it’s just you. You won’t look like a threat, Stevie. If two of us came in, they might call out and bring the guards back.”_

_Steve bit his lip again, “And there’s no other way? We can’t…climb the wall or something?”_

_“By now, they’ve probably been alerted that we’re gone, so they’d be keeping a closer watch on the walls,” Bucky told him, running a soothing hand along Steve’s shoulders, “The guards here probably know too, but if they’ve already checked the wagon, they’ll clear it to leave. Stevie, this is our best chance.”_

_Steve finally nodded, pushing his fears down, “Alright. Just…be careful?”_

_Bucky leaned down and pressed a kiss to the tip of Steve’s nose, “Always.”_

_They turned back to watch the procession of wagons, waiting. Then Bucky gave the signal and they both quickly, quietly, made their way along the sides of the wagons waiting for their turn, moving toward the wagon Bucky had identified. Both were nervous and fearful, but they stuck to the plan. Bucky held up his hand, halting Steve when they reached the wagon behind the one they were going to get a ride on. The guard made his way around the wagon, glancing under and over it before moving he curtains to check inside. He nodded once and walked around the other side. Bucky immediately gave the signal to go and they both rushed forward, low to the ground so as not be spotted. Steve scrambled through the curtain into the back and Bucky maneuvered himself under it, holding tight to the wooden slats as the wagon started to move. Several minutes later, when he noticed they were near the forest, he let out a low whistle and let go, dropping to the ground and curling his arms and legs in tight to avoid the wheels as they rolled by. He uncurled and looked up to see Steve drop quickly, but clumsily, out the back. He watched with a fond smile as Steve quickly stood, brushing dirt off before turning to Bucky._

_Steve was smiling widely at him as he rushed forward, throwing his arms around Bucky, “It worked! It really worked! We’re out!”_

_He let out a peal of laughter and Bucky hugged him tight, “It did, we are. I…I didn’t think it’d work, actually.”_

_Steve pulled back, looking at him, mouth open, before swatting at him, “You jerk! I can’t believe you!”_

_Bucky laughed and grabbed Steve’s hands, pulling him closer, “But it did work, you punk.”_

_Steve grinned up at him, but then his eyes went wide as they focused on something over his shoulder. Bucky tensed and quickly released him, glancing back to see what was coming. A horse and rider approached, a covered wagon not far behind. Bucky moved so he was in front of Steve as the rider came closer._

_“Greetings,” the rider called out when he was close enough to be heard without yelling._

_Bucky nodded toward the rider, “Well met.”_

_The rider dismounted and approached on foot. Bucky found himself looking up at the tallest man he’d ever seen, standing several inches taller than himself. He looked young, younger than he and Steve, at least. He was dressed only in a pair of brown trousers. He had no hair and bore tribal markings. Bucky felt Steve peer around him and heard the quick intake of breath as he saw the sheer size of the man, much less how intimidating the man appeared with the markings._

_The man stopped several feet in front of them and nodded once and held up his hands to show he held no weapons, a small, welcoming smile on his face, “Friends, we mean you no harm.”_

_Bucky glanced behind the man when he saw the wagon come to a halt, a cloaked figure at the front holding the horse’s reins. He looked back at the man in front of them, eyes narrowed in suspicion, “What do you want?”_

_The man continued to smile, but now it was almost like he just didn’t know what else to do, “We noticed your plight, friends, and we wish only to help. You see, we were behind the wagon you hitched a ride upon and saw your escape.”_

_Steve sucked in a breath and Bucky felt his heart beat faster. He tried to reason with himself. They had seen them sneak onto the wagon. Surely they could have called out to the guards, had they wanted to. He tilted his head in question, “How would you help? What can you do?”_

_“We hail from Genosha,” the man said simply, “We can take you with us.”_

_“Genosha?” Steve whispered, hope in his voice._

_Everyone knew of Genosha, the border city that many escaping the wrath of Hydra would seek for asylum, as it was on Shield protected lands. Bucky just stared at the man, not quite willing to believe a stranger would just help them like this, with no payment in kind, “What would you want in return?”_

_“Only to help,” the man insisted, then gestured to the cloaked figure on the wagon, “Many have been affected by the tyranny of Hydra, my family among them. Others have helped us, so we wish only to help others as we were helped.”_

_When Bucky and Steve said nothing, the man continued, “I am from Genosha, but my wife’s family was forced out when Hydra began patrolling the forests and culling the independent villages living in them when they refused their rule. There were many who helped those villagers find new homes in and beyond Genosha, in Shield territories.”_

_“Why were you in the City, then? If you refuse Hydra rule?” Bucky demanded, not quite willing to accept the man’s words yet._

_“We had business with one of the inventors here,” the man explained, “He created a machine that would plow the fields with little oversight. Genosha and our neighbors would find such a tool very helpful. Alas, he was one of Hydra’s inventors and could not, or would not, assist us.”_

_Steve moved out from behind Bucky, eyes wide, “The inventor, was it Abraham Erskine?”_

_“Aye,” the man said, curious, “Do you know the man?”_

_Steve shot Bucky a fearful look before speaking again, “Erskine _is_ a Hydra inventor, but that means he probably told Pierce about someone asking after that technology. Pierce won’t take kindly to someone wanting a technology that he controls. You should get back to Genosha as quickly as you can. We’d only put you in even more danger than you may already be in. Asking after Hydra technology has put a target on your back.”_

_The cloaked stranger climbed down from the wagon and came toward them, lowering her hood as she spoke, “What can Pierce do when we are citizens of Shield and not Hydra?”_

_The woman had similar markings as the man, but her skin was darker, making the marking stand out even more. Bucky shook his head, “It won’t matter to him. He would just tell them you’d gone missing, if asked, and he had no information beyond that.”_

_“Then we are already in danger,” the woman said simply, “It would not harm us to take you with us now.”_

_The man laughed heartily, “When my Ovette makes a decision, it would take the moon and stars to change her course.”_

_The woman smirked, “My husband speaks the truth. You will save us time if you just come with us. Unless you’d rather argue longer and allow Hydra to find us that much faster.”_

_Bucky’s mouth fell open and he tried to think of something to say but couldn’t. Steve snickered, but nodded, “Alright. Thank you. Really.”_

_Ovette smiled gently at them before gesturing to the wagon, “We all need help sometimes, so it’s best to help others in their time of need so they may come to help in yours. We are but two of a larger network that seeks to help those in need.”_

_Steve walked next to her toward the wagon. Bucky just shook his head. The man laughed again and brought a hand down heavily on his flesh shoulder and Bucky almost fell with the force of it, “Come. We should be on our way. You and your man can sit in the back with Kamaria.”_

_Bucky didn’t ask who Kamaria was, but as soon as he and Steve climbed into the wagon, they saw a small child, curled up in sleep. She couldn’t have been more than three or four years of age. Steve looked back out at Ovette, “Your daughter?”_

_Ovette smiled happily, “Yes, our little Kamaria. She was looking forward to this trip for some time, but the City was not as full of splendor as the stories say.”_

_“No,” Bucky agreed, “Not anymore. Not since Hydra.”_

_She nodded once before taking up the reins again and clicking her tongue. The horse moved forward and the tall man kept beside them, astride his horse, as they made their way along the tree line. Bucky and Steve learned that the man’s name was Drax. His family moved to Genosha before he was born, but they continued their tribe’s traditions and were welcomed for their different approaches to issues in the city. He talked of how welcoming Genosha was to people who may be persecuted elsewhere. Steve leaned against Bucky and slept, but Bucky stayed awake, keeping watch for any trouble. Both having thoughts of a city such as Genosha. Accepting. Welcoming. It sounded like a home._

* * *

“_Drax_?” Tony asked, surprised, “But…he’s…”

James smiled sadly, “He wasn’t always this way. Hydra did this to him. Because of us.”

“That’s not true,” Erskine told him sternly, “I did not tell him, but Pierce has eyes and ears everywhere in the City, so when he learned of their interest in those farming technologies, he sent men after them. He believed that his control over those and other technologies would force Shield to make an alliance, one where he came out on top. Their interest in the technology was what made them a target. You were…a bonus.”

“What happened?” Tony asked, “How did he become…how he is now?”

“I don’t know if it’s my story to tell,” James said.

“It is,” Erskine insisted, “At least part of it. You don’t need to tell more than your part of it.”

Charles spoke up then, “And what’s not your story, Drax has given permission to others to tell, so that he might serve to warn others of the dangers of Hydra and Alexander Pierce. I am one he has given such permission to, so I can continue where you leave off. I think it’s best to have the full picture before we can make a decision on how best to move forward.”

James nodded, “Alright. Well, we traveled with Drax, Ovette, and Kamaria for a few days before Hydra caught up to us. I know, in my head, that Pierce didn’t go after them because of us, it just feels that way sometimes. As it was, the Strike Team didn’t even know we were there until they looked in the wagon.”

He was silent again, then cleared his throat, “We were captured and taken back to the City. We fought, but there wasn’t much we could do when we were trying to protect each other. It was all over when Rumlow threatened Kamaria. None of us were willing to see if he’d follow through. Knowing him, he would have.”

James started pacing the room, “We were taken straight to the dungeons after that. We didn’t see Drax, Ovette, or Kamaria again. We only saw Drax a few times over the years, here and there, but never Ovette or Kamaria. I still don’t know what Pierce did to them, and Drax was never the same after that.”

Silence.

Charles cleared his throat, “Pierce used them as test subjects for various serums he was working on. One of which was the precursor to the one given to you both, I believe.”

James flinched at that, but Charles continued, “They tried one on Drax to make him more pliable, more obedient, similar, I think, to the one they gave you before, James. It didn’t work, not the same way, at least. It was hard for Drax to explain, but that’s part of what the serum did to him.”

“I refused to create more of that serum,” Erskine told them, ashamed of his part in everything, “Pierce had one of his other inventors work on something, but they seem to have missed several key ingredients.”

“The serum Drax received seems to have made his memories before that point hazy,” Charles explained, “He doesn’t remember much, if anything, before he was given the serum, so it worked in that respect, but rather than making him more obedient, it seems to have regressed his mind, made him more simple. While he was able to explain to me what happened, it was only in basic terms.”

“What happened to…” James began, but stopped.

Charles gave him a sad look, “At that point, Drax no longer recognized his wife and child, only seeing them as friends who were being hurt like he was. He was still forced to watch as Pierce used a serum, similar to the one you had yet to receive, that turned Ovette into a racoon. They were unable to change her back, even after going through the steps for a counter serum. Drax said Pierce was angry that it hadn’t worked.”

Tony’s eyes widened, “Rocket!”

Charles nodded, smiling sadly, “Yes. The racoon he calls Rocket used to be Ovette. We’ve tried to see if she retained any part of the human she used to be, but it seems only animal instincts remain.”

“Wait,” Tony was horrified at his next thought, “Does that mean…Groot…”

“Yes,” it was Erskine that answered this time, “The sapling he carries is what Pierce managed to change Kamaria into.”

“How?” Tony asked, tears in his eyes.

“Pierce believed these serums would imbue his soldiers with power and strengths from the essence he added,” Erskine explained, “He hadn’t known the serum would change Ovette into a racoon, but had believed it would give her aspects of the creature. He made a similar serum but added plant DNA, to see if he would be able to strengthen his men. It did not work. Similar to the serum given to Ovette, the serum given to Kamaria did not just imbue her with strengths of the DNA added, but instead turned her into it.”

“She has always remained a sapling,” Charles told them, “Not growing any bigger. When Shield sent emissaries, Pierce told them he’d found Drax wandering with only the racoon and sapling for company. They were unable to prove otherwise. Drax couldn’t speak at the time, he had to relearn that, so he couldn’t tell them that it had been Pierce. Even had he been able to speak, I’m not sure if they would have believed him.”

“Drax has been traveling with his wife and daughter, as Rocket and Groot, but doesn’t know they’re his wife and daughter?” Tony asked, rubbing the tears from his cheeks.

Charles shook his head, “He doesn’t remember them as more than Rocket and Groot now. It was many years ago that he told us what happened, partly because he felt himself forgetting. It seems as though the serum given to him has long since taken those memories from him. He remembers us, and other people he knows, because we interact at least several times a year, but his memories of events are gone within a couple years.”

Tony turned angrily to Erksine, “How could you create things like this? How could you create things that did _this_?”

Erskine shook his head, “I started inventing to see what I could do, but as soon as I was taken into Hydra, they demanded I do more and more with serums I’d already invented. They demanded I find ways to create serums to do what they wished. I, too, had family, young Stark. I didn’t wish Hydra to do them, or myself, harm, so I did as ordered for many years. I regret a great many things, that among them. I would do it again to save my family, but I do regret what has come of it and wish I had done more in the years since.”

Everyone was silent again, processing everything.

It wasn’t long before Tony turned to James, wanting to hear the rest before he lost his stomach for it, “What happened next, with you and Steve?”

James ran his hands through his hair, “Pierce kept us in the dungeons for at least a week. Maybe more? It was hard to tell.”

“You were there for almost three weeks,” Erskine told him, “They didn’t feed you regularly so you would lose track of the days. They didn’t want you to know. It was during that time that the experiments on Drax and his family were done.”

“That makes sense,” James nodded, “It always seemed like so much longer. And they kept us away from each other. At first, Steve would talk aloud, about anything and nothing, just so I’d know he was still there, but the guards started to hit him, so he stopped after a while. I tried to get him to stop earlier, but the punk always was stubborn. After the…three weeks, I guess…Pierce had us brought up to the main hall. It was empty except for Rumlow’s Strike Team, Erskine, and Pierce himself.”

* * *

_“Ah, James, Steven,” Pierce grinned sharply as the two men were thrown to the floor in front of him. He waved the solider back, “So glad you could make it.”_

_Bucky immediately moved over at the huddled shape beside him, hands running gently over the body, “Steve. Stevie, you alright?”_

_The smaller man groaned and turned over, eyes lighting up at the sight of his lover, “Bucky…”_

_Bucky wrapped Steve in his arms, pulling him close to his chest. The other man felt so fragile, even thinner than he was before. His cheekbones stood out at harsh angles. Bucky sadly ran his thumb along one of those razor sharp cheeks, “Stevie. You alright?”_

_Steve nodded and leaned against him, tucking his face into Bucky’s neck._

_“This is touching, really,” Pierce said dryly, “but you were brought up here for a reason.”_

_Steve shuddered in his arms and he practically growled at the older man, “Oh yeah? What’s that then?”_

_“Your punishment,” Pierce said simply, “You’ve disobeyed me, you’ve disobeyed Hydra, and you somehow thought, what, the dungeon was your punishment? No. You’ve made a fool of me, for what? Your disgusting affair?”_

_Pierce sneered at them and took a knapsack offered by one of the Strike Team men. He reached inside and pulled out Steve’s sketchbook, flipping to one of the drawings of Bucky, “Proof of your crimes. I’d thought better of you, Steven, but I suppose it’s in the nature of an artist to be so weak.”_

_Steve looked up and glared at the older man, “It’s not weak to love someone. Love makes you stronger.”_

_“Clearly,” the other man said with a sharp grin, dropping the book and bag to the floor, “You’ll be able to _be strong_ for the rest of your lives, but it won’t be together. I’ve decided on your punishment. I thought it rather fitting that, since you went against me for each other, your punishment will be to never be together again. I’ve had some of my inventors working on this for some time now. Abraham, where’s the serum?”_

_Abraham Erskine paled as he brought two vials over and handed them to Pierce, moving away quickly. Pierce held them up to show the two men on the ground, “I’ve decided to try a new serum. You see, Abraham created a serum that would enhance our soldiers, make them superior to all others. Tests showed great success in increasing strength. Tests also showed that, when combined with the DNA of another creature, the characteristics of that creature would be imbued into the subject. There’s great promise in this serum. At least it seems to be the case. For you, though, we’ve made some modifications. You see, the serum is only supposed to last for a limited period of time, only an hour or two. My inventor Zola, you’ve not met him yet, suggested bonding the serum to someone’s DNA to act as a sort of lock. The idea being if you’re given the bonded serum, you would need a counter serum with that same DNA to cancel it out. I’m not an inventor, I don’t understand how or why these things work, but it has been successful in the last few animal trials we’ve held. You two will be our first human trials for this version of the serum. There have been some unfortunate casualties in the human trials for other versions, but I believe we’ve worked out the issues. And, as a treat for you both, I’ve had Abraham bond the serum to _my_ DNA.”_

_Bucky’s arms tightened around Steve and he pressed his lips against his temple. Pierce continued, “To make it even better, Zola also discovered a way to bond the changes to day and night. He’s assured me it should work, so I’ll admit to being a little excited. Is it time?”_

_Abraham, who was pale and shaking, quickly nodded, “Yes, sir. You can administer the first serum.”_

_Pierce gave a signal and two of the Strike Team members grabbed Steve by the arms and dragged him away from Bucky. Two more Strike Team members grabbed Bucky to keep him back._

_“No!” Bucky yelled, tears flowing down his cheeks as he tried to move toward Steve, who was released right at Pierce’s feet, “Not him, please. Don’t hurt him, it was me, everything was me. Please.”_

_Pierce smirked, “I doubt that, but I do enjoy hearing you beg.”_

_Steve leaned up on his hands and looked back at Bucky, forcing a sad smile, “It’s okay, Buck. It’s not your fault. There’s nothing wrong with love, you know that. It’s alright. I’ll be alright.”_

_Pierce knelt down beside Steve, one of the serums in hand. He uncorked it and gestured to the Strike Team members, who reached out. One held Steve in place by the shoulders as he thrashed about to get free and the other grabbed his chin and forced open his mouth. Pierce held the vial aloft and glanced at Bucky, brow raised, “Any last words for your lover? No? Very well then.”_

_Bucky could only stare in horror as Pierce poured the vial into Steve’s mouth and the Strike Team member holding his jaw immediately pushed it closed. Steve continued to thrash around, but it quickly changed from trying to get away to increasing amounts of pain. Bucky yelled as he watched Steve move about, seizing, foam and spittle leaking past his lips. Pierce watched in satisfaction. After several minutes, Steve’s body began to twist and contort, growing smaller. Bucky pulled against the hands holding him, finally getting free, but only when Pierce signaled for them to release him. He scrambled over to where his lover had been._

_“Steve…no…please, Stevie, don’t leave me…” He reached out hesitantly to the mound of cloth that seemed to be all that was left of his lover. He felt hot tears as they continued to fall, “Stevie, no…”_

_He let out a shocked gasp when movement came from the folds of the clothing. Bucky reached out, trying to get through cloth to whatever was left. He finally managed to uncover…a bird…a hawk. He stared down at the bird lying in Steve’s clothing before he cupped it in his hands and brought it closer, a look of terror on his face._

_“Exactly as advertised, isn’t that right Abraham?” Pierce asked the other man, pleased._

_Bucky could only stare at the creature in his hands, whispering hoarsely, “What?”_

_Pierce tutted, “Have you not been paying attention, James? The serum serves to enhance the DNA of the animal added to it. I’ll admit, I wasn’t quite expecting him to transform into a bird, but that’s as it should be. Other trials experienced the same…issue. Zola also added some other ingredients that should bind this form to daylight, isn’t that right, Abraham?”_

_“Yes, sir,” came the reluctant response._

_“It had to be given during daylight to work,” Pierce explained, “but I wanted it to be close enough to night that I’d still be able to show _him your_ punishment.”_

_Bucky pet the bird gently, trying to soothe it. It kept giving distressed shrieks. He whispered softly to it, telling it that everything was okay, that he was alright. Pierce and the Strike Teams continued to watch as the daylight faded and the bird began to shift again. The reverse process was no less distressing. Bucky watched as the bird shifted and grew back into Steve. He immediately covered the, now, man with his clothing. Steve shivered and shuddered in his arms, eyes wide and full of terror. Bucky brushed his hair back from his face and cradled him to his chest, but it wasn’t long before the Strike Team members came for _him_._

_Pierce grinned down at him, “Your turn. I was very careful about finding the animal for you, James. It took a lot of consideration, but I finally decided that you should become the irritating vermin you truly are.”_

_The men held him tight and wrenched his mouth open, letting Pierce pour the serum into it before closing it tightly again. It felt like he was on fire. He screamed as he felt skin and bones shift, relieved when he lost consciousness._

* * *

“I’m still not sure what, exactly, happened after that. Steve wrote about it once, so I know that I attacked the Strike Team, but never him,” James told them, “We managed to get away in the confusion, but everything was different. When I came back to myself at dawn, it was in the middle of the forest, and there was a hawk with me. I knew it had to be Steve, but I didn’t know what happened between them forcing the serum into me and waking up in the forest. Steve managed to grab the bag Pierce had brought in. It had his sketchbook, some charcoal pencils, and rags, but that was all.”

“Pierce believed he’d added the hair of a rat to your serum,” Erskine said, tears in his eyes, “but it was a wolf hair. You first attacked the men who had been holding you down, then the men holding Steven. Pierce fled almost immediately when he realized you weren’t the rat he thought you’d be, but a fierce predator instead. You went to Steven and whined until he was able to get up. Then you both left quickly.”

Erskine cleared his throat, “I…I can never say how truly sorry I am for my hand in what’s been done to you, but I would like to help, if you’ll allow me.”

James stared at the other man for a few moments before nodding once, “Fine, but you explain what you’re doing _every_ step of the way. And if Steve doesn’t want to work with you, then we’re done. You give us the counter serum, but that’s it. Am I clear?”

The older man let out a relieved sob and nodded several times, “Yes, yes, thank you. I…thank you.”

James just nodded once more before turning away. Tony glanced between the two men, then looked at Charles before speaking, “So, what do we do now?”

Erskine cleared his throat again, “I have the instructions for the original serum, as well as the modifications made by Zola to bind the serum to Pierce, and the original counter serum. I would like to consult with Howard, if he’d be willing. He might know of a better way, a way that doesn’t rely on Pierce’s DNA to reverse it. And I would like someone else with some knowledge of serums there. He will be able to understand Zola’s modifications and how those will affect the counter serum and I would like another pair of eyes for that alone.”

Tony nodded, “I’m sure dad would be willing, he’s been trying to find a cure for years. You’re the best lead they’ve had.”

“I’ve been working on the counter serum in my lab and have it ready to add the DNA,” Erskine admitted, “but would like Howard to check it. For it to work, each dose will need the DNA of the man it’s for and Pierce’s DNA. As we needed the DNA of the animal for the serum, we need the DNA of the man for the counter serum.”

“At least it’s a starting point,” Charles said optimistically.

“Grab the counter serum and all your notes and let’s go,” James demanded, standing, “The sooner we get you to Howard, the sooner this finally ends.”


	9. IX

“How long have they been in there?”

“Probably a few days, now.”

“Do you think they’ll ever come out?”

“Is everything okay? What if something happened and we just don’t know because they’ve locked themselves up?”

The Guardians, along with Tony and James, all looked at Peter, who ducked his head sheepishly and shrugged, “What? It’s true! We wouldn’t know if something happened to them because they never come out anymore!”

Quill rolled his eyes, but Tony shook his head, “No, the kid’s right.”

“I am?”

“He is?”

“Yeah,” Tony replied, giving Quill an eyeroll of his own, “After the first time I checked on them, they asked to be left alone and none of us have checked on them since. Has anyone actually _seen_ either of them since they went into dad’s lab four days ago?”

Everyone shook their heads. Tony nodded once, “Right. I’ll go see if there’s anything I can help them with. I’ll let you know if anything’s happened when I get back. Until then, try not to stress too much, okay?”

Everyone but James nodded. James only watched him go with the same intensity he’s had since they came back to Howard’s after their talk with Erskine. He refused to let Captain go for very long, even getting shifty when he’s been out hunting for longer than a half hour. Tony knew it was at least partially due to remembering and talking about Pierce and how they were changed, but he also thought it was nerves. James seemed like he was almost afraid to hope, now that something valid was presented to him. As he made his way down to his dad’s lab, he thought more about how it must be for James, and even Steve. The smaller man had cried when they told him they’d managed to find Erskine and might have a counter serum. Since then, he’d also been fairly quiet on the matter, seeming more content to draw and write in his sketchbook. While James seemed afraid to hope, Steve seemed hopeful but afraid. Tony couldn’t blame him, not knowing his experiences with Pierce and the serum.

He approached the door to his dad’s lab and knocked once before going inside. It was brightly lit – which reassured him that, at the least, they should be able to see properly – and filled with different pots and pans and ingredients. He walked through the room until he found where his father and Erskine were, both writing out calculations quickly, looking at their simmering pot with an almost manic look in their eyes. He cleared his throat, but neither man acknowledged his presence. He tried again, louder this time, but still had no response.

“Dad!” He called out and Howard jolted, fumbling his notebook before turning wide eyes to his son. Tony stifled the laugh that wanted to come out and twitched his lips to cover the smirk, “How’s it going?”

Howard blinked at him several times before smiling broadly, “Tony! Tony, I think we’ve finally got something!”

“Not quite,” Erskine grumbled, eyes not leaving the pot, “It’s _better_ than before, should be less painful, but still needs Pierce’s blood. Just a drop, which is less than it would have needed before, but still. It means they’ll have to be close enough to get the blood.”

Tony’s shoulders sagged at that, “That makes it more difficult.”

Both older men nodded. Howard ran a hand along the back of his neck, “Yeah, that’s the one thing we haven’t been able to work around. We had an idea, though.”

“Oh?” Tony asked, wondering what they meant.

“If someone were able to get into the castle and run into Pierce, they can use something as little as a sewing needle to get a drop or two of blood,” Erskine told him.

Tony hummed, “I’ll tell James, but that still means they’d need to be close enough to get the blood. And, you know, get into the City to begin with. A question, though: how will they get the blood? I know you’re thinking a sewing needle or something, but how would you guarantee the blood would stay on the needle?”

“I think we have something that can help with that, too,” Howard said, leading Tony to another table at the side of the room. He reached out and picked up what looked like a pipette, “I made a couple of these. It has the small rubber bulb for suction, but I’ve sharpened the tip, so it’ll puncture easily. It should feel like a poke with a sewing needle, or even just a mosquito bite.”

“An aggressive mosquito,” Erskine grumbled under his breath.

Tony blinked, then laughed, “You’ve weaponized a pipette?”

“Er,” Howard shrugged, “Yes, I suppose I have.”

“So, what are you still working on?” Tony asked, looking back at Erskine.

“We’re making enough of the counter serum that there’s a safety batch,” Howard explained, walking back over, “We’ve already made the first batch, which has half a dozen doses, but wanted to have backup vials in case something happens to the first batch. You can’t make too much at once, or the ingredients get too diluted, so we decided to just do two smaller batches, to be safe.”

“That’s a good idea,” Tony admitted, getting glares from both men. He laughed, “We’ve been up there for four days trying to figure out if you were still alive or not, dad.”

“Oh,” Howard replied, then grinned sheepishly, “Abe and I just got absorbed in it, I guess. We’ve also had to sleep. And I’ve gone up for food now and then, so we haven’t been starving.”

“Alright,” Tony said, stepping back, “Come up when it’s done, though. I’ll talk to the others and we can start working on a plan.”

* * *

When Howard and Erskine finished their brewing, they went back up to the common room. At that point, Tony had told the group what the two men had been working on and their basic ideas, including the weaponized pipette. It was night again, or early morning, so Steve was with them, with Winter curled up at his feet. They’d decided it worked well enough to keep Winter inside the house, as long as Steve was there with him when they changed. They had enough food in the kitchen to keep him and Captain fed, so neither truly _had _to leave to hunt. They were discussing what they could do to get Steve and James into the City when the older men joined them.

Tony was arguing that he knew the way, “I remember how I escaped, but maybe instead of climbing over the wall, whoever is sneaking in to stab Pierce can go up the canal. I considered it when I was leaving, but they’ve had it gated shut. If we have cutters heavy enough for the wire, it would work though.”

“Would that person then sneak out the same way?” Gamora asked, “How would they manage to get through the City and into the castle?”

“The network is just as active within the City as it is outside,” Tony explained, “They could keep to the shadows and use the network to help them.”

There were hums of consideration but then Steve spoke, not looking up from his sketchbook, “It sounds like it would have to be you, Tony.”

Everyone looked at the smaller man, surprised. He looked up when no one spoke, cheeks flushing at the attention, but then he shrugged, “You made your way through the City before, and more recently than Buck and I have. _And _you’re familiar with the members of the network in the City. You know where the gate in the canal is. Sounds like it would have to be you.”

Tony shrugged, “Well, yeah. I was kind of hinting that it would be me without actually outright saying it. Maybe I should be more clear. _I _would take the wire cutters through the canal and make my way through the City with the help of the network.”

“My question on getting into the castle stands,” Gamora returned, raising a brow, “How will you get through the guards at the castle?”

No one responded for several minutes.

“I know a guy.”

“What if…there was a distraction?”

Tony and Quill spoke at the same time, earning surprised looks from everyone. Tony gestured for Quill to go ahead, since it seemed like he may have a more thought out idea, but it was Quill, so, he wasn’t sure. Quill shook his head, “Well, I mean, if Tony sneaks in, maybe do it during the daytime and have James go in on Rosie through the main gates? They’d send their men after him, wouldn’t they? Maybe not all of them, they’d keep a Strike Team on Pierce, probably, but they’d send as many men as they could after James, and Tony could use that chance to sneak in.”

Gamora was the first to shake of her surprise, “Quill, that was…actually well thought out.”

Quill shot her an offended look, “You say that as if I never have good ideas!”

She rolled her eyes and the rest looked away. Quill huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, muttering, “Some friends you guys are.”

Howard cleared his throat and nodded, “That’s a good idea, but we still have to figure out-”

He stopped when Steve stood, abruptly, “Sorry, it’s dawn, I can feel it. I have to go.”

He left the room suddenly, Winter letting out a low whine as he followed. The rest of the group were silent, knowing James would return shortly, so they waited. Several minutes later, James came in, with Captain on his metal shoulder, as usual. He glanced around the room before moving to sit near Tony. He saw Howard and Erskine sitting along the far wall and the rest of the group scattered. He raised a brow, “What’s been decided?”

“Tony’s going to sneak into the City,” Peter blurted out, then shrugged when every looked at him, confused, “What? He _is_, isn’t he?”

James blinked before glancing at Tony, “What? Why? No.”

It was Tony’s turn to blink, “What? Why, no?”

“Please speak normal,” Quill piped in, “I can’t follow what’s going on if you’re using some weird bro code only you two understand.”

Both men turned to Quill. James narrowed his eyes and the older Peter flinched. A look of near satisfaction crossed James’s face and he turned back to Tony, shaking his head, “You _escaped_, Tony. You got out. And you found your dad. Why would you go back? You’re free now. I can figure something out without endangering any of you, so you can all just stay here. Safe.”

Tony glared, “It’s my choice, James. After everything I’ve seen and heard, I damn well wanna help, and it’s not up to you whether I do or not. My dad has been working with Erskine these past few days and they have everything ready, probably, and now it’s just a matter of getting into the City for Pierce’s blood. If I can do that easier than the rest of you, then I’ll do it.”

“No,” James said firmly, raising a hand when Tony opened his mouth to speak again, “It’s not about you going or not this time, Tony. I’m saying no, it’s _not_ just a matter of getting into the City for Pierce’s blood. I don’t think I could be that close and just let him live. He and Hydra have been terrorizing people for decades, maybe even longer. If I’m going back to the City, then I’m going after Pierce and I _will_ take him down. I can’t ask you, any of you, to put yourselves at risk for _my_ fight.”

Everyone was silent again. Peter raised his hand. James sighed, “Kid, you don’t have to raise your hand. What is it?”

Peter cleared his throat, looking around the room before giving James his full attention, “With all due respect, sir, I think we’re all in for that fight. You aren’t the only one Pierce and Hydra have hurt.”

The rest of the Guardians nodded and Peter continued, “Pierce had my aunt killed because she left the City to take care of me after my parents died. I’m pretty sure he goes after anyone who gets out, if he can get to them. Look at what he did to Drax and his family. All of us have our own stories, yours is just the only one we can do something about. At least right now, anyway.”

James swallowed heavily as he looked around the room at the stubborn faces of the Guardians, then he looked at Tony and Howard, “I don’t want to take you away from each other, not when you’ve just found each other again.”

Howard nodded, “And I thank you for that, for your consideration, but Bucky, none of us will be able to be happy and free until something is done about Pierce. I can’t do much, I’m not strong enough to go with you, but I trust Tony to know his own mind, and I can do what I can to prepare everyone for the coming fight. Let us help you, Bucky. You could probably do it alone, but why chance it when you have others willing to fight with you? If the people of the City see so many willing to fight against Hydra, I think they’d join in as well. Imagine if the people of the City rose up to fight against Hydra and Pierce. The odds of winning would drastically improve.”

James considered everything that had been said and nodded, “Alright. I accept that you all have your own stake in this. What else do we have, other than Tony sneaking in?”

Gamora smirked, “Quill suggested using you as a distraction so Tony can sneak into the castle. That was as far as we got.”

James looked at Quill, impressed, “_You _suggested that?”

“Oh, come on!” Quill protested, uncrossing his arms as the Guardians all laughed, even Drax who was sitting against the wall with Rocket and Groot, “I have good ideas!”

There were some coughs and snickers, but no one said anything against him. Quill let out a huff, “Shut up.”

James smirked, “Right, so, we have Tony sneaking in and me causing a distraction.”

“Yeah, I figured you could ride through the gates on Rosie and Pierce would be sure to call out the guards to go after you,” Quill explained defensively.

James nodded, “That’s a good idea. And while I’m distracting them, the rest of you can also sneak in through the gates.”

They all looked at him with wide eyes. He shrugged, “What? You wanna come or not?”

Quill, Gamora, and Peter all quickly jumped in to say yes and Drax just grinned, humming to himself and his friends at the side of the room. Tony looked around and grinned. They had the beginnings of a plan at least. They just needed to flesh it out a bit more, but he had no doubts they’d be able to.

* * *

Three days later, they had hashed out the rest of the plan. Charles, Logan, and Erik had come by and helped them think of different contingencies and Logan even volunteered to come with them, mostly to protect Peter, but it was still help. The plan was for Tony to go in through the canal, cutting the wire gate to get in, and make his way through the City using his connections with the network to spread the word that they would be rising against Pierce and Hydra and welcomed any and all who wished to join them. He would do this the night before the attack and would stay with one of his friends, his contact with the guard, close enough to the castle that he would be able to see the expected disturbance calling them away.

Tony had explained that wagons still went into and left the City at all hours, day and night, so Gamora, Logan, and Peter would go into the City that night as well, by wagon. Gamora grudgingly agreed to go without her green body paint so they could go in quietly, not bringing any more attention to themselves than they would already have. They would make their way to Howard’s old pub. He still owned the place even though there was new management. They would provide Pepper Potts with a letter from Howard and stay there for the night. Ms. Potts would put the word out to their connections that they would be going against Pierce, similar to what Tony was going to do, but it would be a blatant call to arms.

Quill and Drax would stay with Erskine, Steve, and Winter outside the gates. Erskine was going along in case anything happened with the serums. James had demanded he accompany them, as insurance, and Erskine was relieved to do so. He wanted to be with them in case something went wrong. He didn’t anticipate any problems, but wanted to be there all the same. When dawn came, Captain would stay with Erskine and Drax while James and Quill would charge through the gates. They would both ride Rosie and would go to the center of the City, drawing as much attention as they could. Everyone had laughed when James explained that was the reason he wanted Quill with him. While they were wreaking havoc, Tony would sneak into the castle, as any guards would have gone after James and Quill. He would be disguised, maybe as one of the castle servants, and would find Pierce, stab him with the pipette, and get away as quickly as possible.

They hoped some of the people in the City would have joined them at this point to fight against the Strike Teams, but if not, Gamora and Logan would go to the City center to help James and Quill. Drax and Erskine would also take advantage of the havoc James and Quill would cause and would sneak through the gates, with Captain, at the distraction and make their way to the pub. Peter would stay at the pub, as he would have the vials of serum with him. Tony would make his way to the pub as well, once he finished his task, and Erskine would finish preparing the serums for each man. They would feed the serum to Captain and he would turn back into his human form. Everyone had agreed that Peter would stay at the pub with Erskine after that, where they would both be able to hide if they had to, and protect the rest of the serum. Drax, Tony, and Steve would then meet up with those in the City center. They would all attack the castle at that point, with James, Tony, and Steve going after Pierce himself. After that, the plan was a bit dicey and more reliant on who was winning. As long as they were winning, they would continue to make their way inside the castle.

“What if any of the soldiers surrender?” Peter asked once the other details were solidified.

James looked away, “We’d need to be sure of their surrender. Hydra soldiers will pretend to surrender if it will gain them the upper hand.”

“We can subdue them and bind their hands and feet, take their weapons,” Gamora offered hesitantly, “I, too, fear they would say they surrender to get our guard down.”

“Some will truly surrender,” James told them, eyes staring into the distance, unseeing, “I know the Commandos would have raised their kids right, and I doubt they would support Hydra. Hell, they might even be part of your network.”

Tony straightened as an idea came to him, “What if…what if it’s more than just us attacking?”

“We already talked about that, Tony,” James waved him off, “We’ll use the pub to get word out and you’ll use your contacts with the network in the City.”

“No,” Tony flailed a bit to get their attention, “I mean…what about stopping back to see Gabe and Peggy?”

“Who are…” James trailed off as he remembered the couple in the forest, “That’s…not a bad idea. They’re part of your network, but they’re outside the City. How many others do you think would be willing to join with us?”

“I can think of them and a few others I met before you saved me from the Strike Team,” Tony told him with a grin, “There’s an inn…they’re part of the network. We can stop by both places on our way to the City, see if anyone would be willing to join us.”

“Do you mean Bruce and Natasha’s inn?” Peter asked excitedly.

Tony nodded, “Yeah, you know them?”

Peter nodded, “Yeah! They always help us when we’re in the area. They’re one of the safe houses we know. I don’t know if we know Gabe and Peggy though.”

“We do,” Gamora grinned fiercely, “Peggy and I are old friends. We also know others in their village that would be willing to at least hear us out. Carol Danvers, another friend of ours, would be more than happy to help us, I’m sure.”

“Peter’s friends, the Maximoff twins, live in that village,” Logan pointed out, “And they’ve hated Hydra since they burned down their old village. Their mother was killed in the fire.”

James nodded, “Then we’ll stop at both locations.”

Every grew silent after that. Charles exchanged a glance with Erik before speaking, “When do you plan on leaving?”

“Soon,” James replied, thinking for a moment, “The day after tomorrow, if we can get our supplies ready. I’ll have to ride ahead.”

At that, everyone looked at him curiously. He shook his head, “Hydra knows we came here. They could have sent notice back to the City. We don’t know how many soldiers could be waiting for us at the border.”

Erik grinned at that, “Oh, there’s no need to worry about that.”

James turned to Erik and raised a brow, “Why not?”

“Genosha is prepared for any instance of evacuation,” Charles replied, reaching out to pat Erik’s hand absently, “Erik was just pointing out that there are tunnels that can take you into the forest. It’s a long series of tunnels, but they’re there should a safe, hidden exit be needed.”

Tony muttered to James, “And here I thought Erik was volunteering to take them on singlehanded.”

James snorted and held back a laugh before asking, “How do we access these tunnels? Where do they lead to? How big are the tunnels? Would Rosie fit?”

Charles smiled in reassurance, “There are actually entrances to the tunnels in every home.”

Howard interrupted with a groan, “I can’t believe I forgot about that. I’m connected to them, just like everyone else.”

“Yes,” Charles hid a grin behind his hand, “Well, every house has one and there are arrows carved into the walls directing you which way to go for the forest. The tunnels let out into a cave in the forest Gamora guided you through. I don’t know where in relation to where you left the forest, but it lets out close enough to the forest path. The tunnels are big enough for a full city evacuation, so were designed with wagons and horses in mind.”

“That’s…a long tunnel,” Tony said, surprised, “Is it reinforced regularly?”

“Yes,” Erik told him with a glare, “Myself and several others check the tunnels every other week and reinforce them when necessary.”

“The marks on the walls will direct you through the tunnels,” Charles explained, “Some will direct you farther into Shield territory, others will direct you to Hydra lands. The symbols are simply “S” for Shield and “H” for Hydra. Access through the cave is one way, you cannot come back through that door. It was designed that way in case Hydra became aware of the tunnels. We didn’t want them to be able to access them for their own means should they wish to attack us. The Shield tunnels are accessible both ways, though. The entrances to each home require a key, or series of keys. It differs by home.”

“That’s great!” Peter said, eyes lit up in interest, “I can’t wait to check it out.”

With that in mind, James nodded, “Alright then. We’ll leave the day after tomorrow through the tunnels. Pack what you need and can carry. We’ll want to be able to travel quickly. We can ask about purchasing a wagon as we get closer to the City. Maybe in the forest village.”

Tony nodded once, “Everyone handle your own preparations and meet back here at dad’s just after dawn the day after tomorrow?”

The Guardians all nodded and stood. Erik and Logan did as well. Erik moved to push Charles’s chair. Charles smiled gently at Tony then at James, “I wish you the best of luck, James.”

Erik nodded once before pushing Charles out of the room. Logan moved over to Peter and slung an arm around his shoulders, “We’re gonna get over to the pub. Pete, your friends are welcome to stay there.”

Peter glanced at Drax, who grinned, then at Gamora and Quill, eyes wide, “Are you guys coming?”

Drax and Gamora both nodded and Quill shrugged, “Guess so, kid.”

The Guardians and Logan all said their farewells and left. The only ones remaining were James and Captain, Tony, Howard, and Erskine.

“Where’s Jarvis?” Tony asked, not having seen the other man for a few days.

“He’s gone back to the City,” Howard told him, “He’s actually going to meet with Pepper himself before any of you get there. He’ll prepare them for what’s coming and see if he can get support in advance.”

Tony nodded absently, “I guess that makes sense. It’ll be good to see them again.”

“Whatever happened with you and Pepper?” Howard asked, curious, “I thought you two would’ve been married by now.”

Tony shrugged, “After you were gone, I sort of fell into work. Like, hard into it. We didn’t see each other as much anymore. We’re still friends, but she married the local butcher, Happy Hogan, who’s also a friend.”

“I’m sorry, son,” Howard said, moving to sit next to him.

“It’s alright,” Tony told him with a smile, “I don’t know if we ever would have worked in the end. I’m glad she found Happy, they’re good together.”

They fell into silence until James cleared his throat and stood, Captain flying to land on his shoulder, “I’m going to get ready for dusk. You two should spend some time together. I’m gonna be working on preparations tomorrow and probably won’t be around, so I’ll see you at dawn the next day. We’ll meet here?”

Howard and Tony both nodded, but Tony spoke, “Alright. And Bucky?”

James paused in the doorway at the name and looked over his shoulder at Tony, brow raised. Tony grinned, “Thanks, for everything.”

James’s eyes wrinkled at the corners, letting Tony know that even though his lips weren’t curved, he was smiling, “Glad to help, Tony.”

* * *

Knowing what was coming, Tony made sure to spend as much time with his dad as he reasonably could. The rest of that first day, they talked about what they had been doing during their years apart. They talked long into the night, only stopping when both were starting the slur their words because they were so tired. It seemed like his dad had the same thoughts as he did, though, and wanted to spend as much time with him as they could. The next day, they talked about their experiments and spent the entire day in Howard’s basement lab. They argued over whose idea was more valid and had contests of whose experiment would turn out better. It reminded Tony so much of their earlier years together. It was almost as though they’d never been apart. Almost. Both were still pained at the many years away from each other. His dad had been the only one he had for so many years, and then he was gone. For Howard, he’d had to abandon his child, and he’d hated himself for the longest time because of it. They were slowly working through everything, though, with the help of their long talks and time spent together. They knew this was only a start. The night before Tony’s departure, neither man wanted to give in to sleep. Tony didn’t know how long he would be gone, and Howard was afraid something would happen and his son would _never_ return. Tony knew his dad’s fears, but didn’t know how to reassure him, so he just spent as much time with him as he could. They stayed up late again that night, talking and just being in each other’s company.

The morning of his departure, Tony woke to his dad’s hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake, “Time to wake up, Tones.”

Tony blinked sleepily up at his father, “Whatimesit?”

Howard laughed at the sleep slurred question, “Dawn. The sun’s just rising. The others will be here soon, so you should make sure everything is ready. Maybe take a bath, you won’t be able to have another for some time.”

Tony blinked again, rubbing a hand across his eyes as if that would wipe the sleepiness away, “‘sa good idea.”

“It’s ready for you,” Howard told him, amused, “Whenever you get out of bed, that is.”

Howard had taken to treating him, in some ways, as he had when Tony was younger, but he knew it wasn’t meant in any way other than to show he loved him, so he stumbled to the kitchen, where the tub was sitting, filled with steaming water. He hadn’t seen anyone since they arrived, but he knew his father had staff to help him around the house. His dad had told him he’d given them some time off so they wouldn’t be around while everyone was coming in and out of the house. He didn’t want anyone else to see them until Hydra was dealt with, just to be safe. Tony took his time in the bath, enjoying the hot water, knowing he wouldn’t have the luxury while they were traveling. His dad was right when he pointed that out. The best he would be able to do would be to wash up in a stream. Genosha, like Natasha and Bruce’s inn, had a sort of plumbing system, so their kitchens and washrooms were designed with that in mind. Unfortunately, tubs with plumbing came along after Howard had moved in and he hadn’t felt the need to upgrade, so he still had the copper tub in the corner of the kitchen, though it did have a drain and hose attached to the bottom for easier draining. He spent his time in the tub thinking through their plans, trying to see ways they could go wrong. Charles and Erik had helped them with that, but he didn’t know if it would be enough.

Tony finished washing and dried off, quickly putting on a tunic before releasing the drain on the tub after making sure the hose was draining out the kitchen door. He heard footsteps approaching and pulled on a pair of trousers, tying them shut.

“Tony, Bucky and Captain are here,” he heard his dad say as the footsteps got closer.

“I’m dressing, dad,” Tony called back, rolling his eyes, “Give me a minute and I’ll be right out.”

He heard the footsteps stop and then move back down the hall, away from the kitchen, his dad and James talking quietly to each other. He let out a breath and finished getting dressed, tugging on his socks and boots before going to the common room. As he entered the room, he looked around and saw only his dad and James were here. He smiled at James, who was sitting, petting Captain. His brows rose when he saw Rosie at the side of the room. He turned a questioning look to James.

James laughed, “She’s coming with us.”

“Yeah,” Tony began hesitantly, “I know, but…why’s she inside?”

“The entrance to the tunnels is in the basement, Tony,” James said with another laugh.

“Oh!” Tony realized that she would have to go through the house to get there, “Wait, can she even go down stairs?”

Howard laughed as James rolled his eyes, replying to his son’s question, “The stairs are a solid metal, and are wide enough for her to fit, so she should be able to as long as she goes cautiously.”

Tony huffed, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat, leaning back in the chair, “How was I to know?”

The other men laughed again, but didn’t say anything further. A few minutes passed before a knock came at the door. Tony stood and answered the door, calling out, “Who is it?”

“Open the damn door,” he heard Logan practically growl.

“Logan! You can’t just say that!” He heard Peter squawk.

“It’s the Guardians, Stark, let us in,” Quill demanded.

Tony snickered as he opened the door to a grumpy Logan, fluttering Peter, annoyed Quill, happy Drax, with Rocket but no Groot, and exasperated Gamora. He gestured for them to enter.

“Where’s Groot?” Tony asked Drax.

The tall man frowned for a moment before speaking, “Charles watch Groot. No hurt.”

Tony nodded with a small smile, “That’s a great idea, don’t want Groot to get hurt out there.”

Drax nodded with a grin and scratched along Rocket’s neck, “Rocket fight with Drax, Groot no fight.”

At that, the Guardians made their way to the common room. Before Tony could close the door, he heard someone call out and looked out. Erskine was hurrying toward the house, waving an arm to make sure Tony saw him. He waited for the older man to enter, then closed the door. He led Erskine to the common room. James looked up, pleased to see that everyone was there and had packs that appeared to be full. He stood and nodded once to Howard, “Great. We’re all here. Howard, can you take us to the tunnels?”

James calmly followed Howard, leading Rosie, through the house. The rest of the group followed, wanting to make sure the horse would get down first. It took careful maneuvering and James constantly reassuring her, but Rosie eventually made it down the steps. Howard stopped in front of a section of the wall, pressing an almost invisible knot. There was a rasping noise and some clanking before the entire section of wall swung back, opening to reveal a dark tunnel. Howard went back to one of his tables and grabbed several torches, handing them out to Tony, Logan, Gamora, and Quill before lighting them.

He went back and grabbed a bag and handed it to Tony, “This has more fuel and rags for the torches, for when they’re close to burning out. Charles said that you won’t be able to have more than four torches, or it could make it harder to breathe in the tunnel. He also said to be sure not to try to light a fire. You have plenty of jerky and brown bread so there shouldn’t be a need for it. Walk at a fast pace and you should find the exit before dusk.”

Tony gave his dad a tight hug, “I’ll be safe. We’ll send word when we can, but if you don’t hear anything, don’t worry, it just means there aren’t any ravens. I’ll see you once it’s all done.”

Howard cleared his throat as tears burned his eyes, but he clung tight to his son, “I’ll be here when you come home. Be safe. Come home safe.”

Tony pulled back reluctantly, but gave his dad a watery smile before turning to follow the rest into the tunnel, glad they’d given him and his dad a minute to themselves to say goodbye. He heard noise echo through the tunnel as the wall swung shut again and rushed forward until he was walking beside James. The other man glanced at him and he gave a nod, “I’m alright. It’s just…”

“I understand,” James said, smiling gently at Captain, who was perched on Rosie’s saddle, “You just found him again. I don’t even remember my own dad, but if I had a dad like Howard, I’d hold on with both hands, especially after thinking he was dead.”

Tony just nodded, “Yeah.”

They walked in silence after that, no one wanting to speak and have their voice echo through the tunnels. They made sure to follow the “H” carved into the walls, like they were instructed. They stopped for several minutes to eat some brown bread and jerky before continuing on their way. It was hard to track time in the tunnels, but they’d had to refresh their torches three times before they started to smell the fresh scent of dirt. Everyone grinned and walked a bit faster. They stopped again for some more jerky and bread before they reached the end of the tunnel. They all looked at Logan when they stopped before what looked to be a stone wall. There was no evidence that it was more than a dead end. Logan stepped forward and felt along the wall for several minutes before pressing hard on a spot high to the left. As had happened when Howard pressed a knot at the other end, the wall swung out. Logan held up a hand and stepped out slowly, cautiously. He moved forward through the cave, making sure it was clear, before returning to the group. He gave a wave, motioning them forward and made his way back to the cave entrance. Tony waited until everyone was out before pushing the wall shut again. It clunked and shut tightly behind them. He followed after the group, only to find everyone at a stand still. They hadn’t yet made their way to the cave entrance, so he hurried forward, thinking Hydra soldiers must have found them somehow, but he saw them all looking at something on the ground.

Tony followed their eyes and saw James curled into himself on the floor of the cave. He rushed forward, hands reaching out, but James looked up at him with bloodshot eyes and shoot his head frantically as he said, hoarsely, “Don’t. It’s dusk. Stay back.”

Logan grabbed Rosie’s reins and gently led her forward, “I’ll lead Rosie out, she’ll get skittish if there’s suddenly a wolf in here.”

James let out a pained, but almost silent groan, but nodded, “Take her, the rest of you go too.”

The Guardians and Erskine all nodded and hurried after Logan, though Erskine shot a guilty look back at them as he left. Captain let out a shriek and flew back, landing on the ground several feet away. Tony stayed next to James, wanting to do something to help, but didn’t know if there _was _anything he could do, “Is there anything, anything at all, I can do to help?”

James just let out another quiet groan. It was then that Tony saw a golden glow start to envelope Captain and let out a gasp of surprise. James, hearing the gasp, immediately turned, trying to see what Tony had reacted to. He, too, gasped and was unable to look away when he saw it was Captain. As James was watching the bird, Tony also noticed a silver glow had started to cover James, starting at his feet. The glow covering Captain burst out quickly and Tony turned back to see Steve, naked, just feet away. James let out a desperate, pained cry. Tony knew it wasn’t a physical pain, but to him, this was much worse. The look of longing on James’s face as he stared at Steve was overwhelming, and heartbreaking. Steve’s head turned quickly at the sound and he saw James. His mouth fell open and he let out an almost identical cry, scrambling forward. Just as his hands reached James, the silver glow that had been rushing over him covered him completely, bursting out, like Steve’s golden glow had. When Steve’s hands made contact, they touched fur, not skin as he’d hoped. Steve let out a sob as he threw his arms around Winter, who let out a devastating howl, and hugged him tight, murmuring, “So close. We were so close! I saw you, Buck. I saw you! After so long!”

Tony turned away, brushing away the tears that had fallen. He heard movement and realized that Steve must be taking the clothes James had been wearing, that were now covering Winter. The wolf let out a low whine, feeling the same despair as Steve. It was silent after that except for the near silent murmurs from Steve and the gentle whines from Winter.

A few minutes later, Tony heard Steve say quietly, “It’s okay now, Tony. You can turn around.”

Tony hesitated before turning back around. He wiped his cheeks again, as new tears fell at the devastation on Steve’s face. The smaller man had hurriedly dressed in James’s clothes and was wrapped tightly around Winter, his eyes swollen and red, tear tracks on his cheeks. Tony reached out a hand and Steve took it in one of his, loosening an arm from around the wolf to take the slight comfort Tony was offering.

Steve sniffled a few times before wiping an arm across his eyes and pulling away from Tony and Winter, “Alright. I think I’ve wallowed enough.”

Tony grimaced, “Steve, it’s not wallowing. I…I don’t even know how you’re still up and about after that. If it were me, I’d probably just curl into a ball and refuse to move.”

Steve let out a heavy sigh and turned hopeful eyes to the other man, “If we didn’t have the serum, if we weren’t on our way to get the final ingredient to fix this, I probably wouldn’t, but Tony, we’re so close. I feel that more than ever now, and I can only move forward. I can’t stop to think things like what if it doesn’t work, or we were so close just now, or anything like that because I know if I do, I _won’t_ move forward. I’d let it overwhelm me and I can’t afford that right now. I have to keep going. For Bucky. For us. We’re so close, Tony. I can’t stop now.”

Tony smiled sadly and nodded, moving forward to pull the smaller man into a hug, “I’m here, if you need to talk.”

“I know,” Steve gave him a watery smile, “Thanks, Tony.”

Winter let out a low growl, making Steve laugh as he pulled away from Tony and walked back over to the wolf, squatting down to scratch along his head and neck, “Alright, I get it, you possessive animal, you.”

Tony let out a bark of laughter at that and got a look of disdain from Winter, which only served to make him laugh even harder when he realized it was _exactly_ like one of James’s looks. When he could stop laughing, he tilted his head toward the direction the rest of the group went, “We should get going. We need to set up camp soon, before it gets too dark out.”

Steve nodded and stood, keeping a hand on Winter as he walked forward, “Okay, let’s go.”

They made their way through the rest of the cave until they got to the entrance. Tony looked out and saw the Guardians standing a short distance away with Logan, Erskine, and Rosie. He and Steve, with Winter following, quickly made their way over.

Logan looked up as they got closer, “Everything alright?”

Tony realized they were on the forest path now. It really _was_ close to the cave. He turned back, but couldn’t see the cave through the trees. It was a great place for a secret escape tunnel. For those escaping, they could find the path right away, but for anyone looking for it, it couldn’t be seen. He turned back to Logan and shrugged, “Yeah, just had to wait for Steve and Winter to get their bearings.”

Steve gave him a grateful smile, glad that he hadn’t said anything about their meltdown, “Sorry about that, but we’re ready now. We should find a place to make camp, right?”

Tony started to nod, but Logan shook his head, “We should keep moving. We’re too close to the tree line here. We have the torches for light, so we should be good to keep going until we’re far enough in that Hydra won’t find us so easily.”

Steve nodded his agreement immediately, “That makes sense, thanks for looking out for us, Logan.”

The older man turned away and cleared his throat, “Let’s get going.”

They had refreshed the torches not long before, so had a couple hours of light without having to stop and they made use of them. Logan only called a halt when the torches were almost burnt out, “We should be far enough in, we can make camp here.”

There was a small clearing just off the path that they could set up in. Logan hobbled Rosie and got a fire started while the rest set up their sleeping mats. Steve and Winter went off to hunt some game for supper and came back rather quickly with a few rabbits that they cooked over the fire. Exhausted from the day, everyone fell asleep quickly. Or so it seemed. Tony’s last thought before he fell asleep was that Steve hadn’t taken his eyes off Winter for a while.

The next morning, Tony woke to see James tending the fire absently while he watched Captain. It was going to be a long journey.

* * *

The days went by quickly as they traveled the forest path. Logan had guided them far enough into the forest that, while they kept alert, they weren’t overly concerned about Hydra finding them. Peter was, as he had been on their journey _to _Genosha, interested in everything and chatted away with all of them. James had expressed concern that the path was one he wasn’t familiar with, but Logan explained that he _was_. He explained that he’d taken them farther into the forest than they’d been before, which was why it wasn’t familiar. They continued with the new, later travel time to cover more ground, but had to pause come dusk each day for the transformation. Since the cave, their transformation was happening at the same time, so they didn’t get to see each other again. It seemed to both relieve and sadden Steve while James was just frustrated. Between Peter’s almost forced cheeriness and James’s brooding, Tony was happy to see the cottages of a village just over a week later. They had camped out nearby the night before, so they would have all day to work on talking with the villagers if they needed to. When they woke up, they prepared themselves.

As they made their way into the village, Logan called them to a halt, “We gotta be careful here. A lot of the network lives here, but we don’t know if there are any Hydra supporters, so talk to who you know and no one else. When you’re talkin’, make sure the conversation is private. You don’t want anyone running off to tell Hydra we’re comin’, right?”

Everyone nodded and made their way into the village. Logan and Peter went to find Peter’s friends, Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, who were also apparently cousins of some sort to Erik. Gamora went off to find her friend Carol, Quill and Drax wandered off to talk to…someone, probably, and Tony, James, who was leading Rosie, and Erskine made their way to Gabe and Peggy’s house. James hadn’t wanted to let Erskine out of sight, still not trusting that he wouldn’t betray them, and felt better if he was the one keeping an eye on the old inventor. They felt eyes on them the entire way through the village. When they reached the house on the outskirts of the village, Tony almost skipped forward and knocked on the door. They heard movement inside and footsteps as they walked toward the door.

The door opened and Tony grinned when he saw the surprised look on Gabe’s face, “We were just passing through and decided to pay a visit to a friend of ours, don’t know if you’ve met. We’re looking for Peggy?”

Gabe scowled, but Tony heard the tinkling laugh of Peggy from farther in the house before she called out, “Oh do let them in, sweetheart. I can’t even imagine what those boys have going on and I so dearly want to know.”

Tony laughed as Gabe rolled his eyes and huffed out a breath, “Alright, come on in. You need to bed down the horse? You gonna bring another friend out again?”

James raised a brow and laughed, “_I’ll _be back this time, if you don’t mind me takin’ her to the stables?”

Gabe waved him off, “If your friend’s around, tell him to come on in this time. And to leave the animals outside.”

Peggy’s laugh echoed through the house again. Tony chuckled quietly as they waited for James to come back after setting Rosie up in the stable. Gabe waved them in and closed and locked the door behind them. It was then that he noticed Erskine, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t see you before. These guys are no help, either. I’m Gabe.”

Erskine accepted the offered hand and smiled sadly, “Abraham Erskine.”

He led them through the house to the kitchen, where Peggy was kneading dough and humming quietly, a grin on her face. Her grin widened when she saw Tony and James, “Boys, it’s been an age. Are you here for a visit? Or is it something else? Oh! You’ve brought a friend! I’m Peggy.”

“Abraham Erskine,” the older man introduced himself.

Her eyes took on a sharp, knowing edge when she looked closer at the men, “Do you need help?”

James stepped forward, nodding, “We do. We’re planning an attack on Pierce, on Hydra, and we’re drumming up support.”

Silence. Peggy had even stopped kneading the dough, she was so surprised. Gabe’s eyes narrowed, “Just the three of you? Against Hydra?”

Tony shook his head, “There’s a group of us now. We made friends with another group of travelers on our way to Genosha. They’re with us on this, but…”

Tony turned to look at James, “They have to know the whole story. They can’t give an honest answer without all the facts.”

James nodded, closing his eyes briefly before looking between Gabe and Peggy, “I was prepared to tell others if we needed to.”

Peggy pulled her hands out of the dough and sat on a nearby stool, wiping her hands on a rag, “You’ve got my attention now, boys.”

Gabe sighed, pressing a kiss to her temple as he walked by to pull up a chair, “I think we all know Pegs is the one in charge here, so go on.”

Tony held back a snicker, seeing the proud smirk on Peggy’s lips. James let out a laugh before sobering, “It’s…sort of an unbelievable story, so bear with me.”

He started slowly, telling them about being conscripted and working for Hydra. Then he got more emotional as he told them about Steve and everything that happened after. He kept to just the highlights, because he knew it would take much longer if he went into the entire tale. Some time later, _hours_ later, he stopped. Taking a sip of water from the mug Gabe had given him hours ago. Peggy had cried when he told them about Pierce’s serum and Gabe had reached out and clutched her hand tight in his. James didn’t mention Erskine by name, but Peggy’s eyes had zeroed in immediately on the older man when James was talking about it.

“What do you plan to do to rectify this?” She demanded immediately, eyes narrowed at Erskine.

James stopped her and continued the story, telling her that they would explain their plan once he finished telling them everything. When he was done, Peggy stood and walked around the table, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him close, “Oh, James, I’m so terribly sorry this happened to you.”

Gabe met Tony’s eyes across the room and nodded once. Tony let out a breath he wasn’t aware he’d been holding. They were with them. They spent another hour, once Peggy released James, explaining their plan. When they were told who the others in their group were speaking with, they both nodded in approval. When Peggy heard that Gamora was with them, she grinned the same fierce grin as Gamora had and let out an almost mad cackle. Gabe shivered and just shook his head, telling them not to ask. They were talking out the plan for a third time when someone knocked on the door. Gabe held up a hand, gesturing for them to stay in the kitchen, and went to answer it. He returned shortly with Gamora and a woman they didn’t know, who they assumed was Carol Danvers, and Logan and Peter with two kids that didn’t look much older than Peter.

Gamora stepped forward, gesturing toward the woman beside her, “This is Carol Danvers, a friend. Carol, those are James, Tony, and Abraham.”

Carol gave a nod, “Anything I can do to help take down Hydra.”

Peter was practically vibrating with excitement as he introduced his friends, “This is Pietro and his twin sister, Wanda. They’re cousins of Erik’s and want to help.”

The twins nodded, as Carol had, but said nothing.

Peggy stood and rushed forward to hug Gamora and Carol, “I’m so pleased to be invited, and so glad that we’ll be working together again. Shall we discuss strategy?”

The three women went off, Wanda following after them. The men looked around and Gabe sighed, “Give her an hour and Peggy’ll have the fight over and done. Especially now that she’s working with Carol and Gamora. The three of them could take over the world if they cared to.”

Logan let out a snort, “You bet your ass they would. I’ve heard stories about them. You won’t see me mess with any of ‘em.”

Another knock came on the door and Gabe went to answer it, this time bringing back Quill and Drax and two other men. One was covered in blue paint and had a metal helm with single copper blade sticking up, the other was scruffy looking and had a red leather jacket on. Quill gestured to the blue man first, “This is Yondu Udonta, my adopted father, and my brother, Kraglin Obfonteri, also adopted.”

“That any way to talk about family, boy?” The blue man, Yondu asked, smacking the back of Quill’s head.

“Ow!” Quill brought his hands up to protect against any other attacks, “No, but it’s true. We’re both adopted.”

“Don’t matter,” Yondu told him, “Yer both ma boys.”

Quill flushed and looked away, a pleased smile on his face, before clearing his throat and turning to Tony and James, “They’re with us.”

Tony and James exchanged glances. From this village alone they’d gained seven allies. Tony smiled, knowing the owners of the inn would, at least, be willing to help them on their way to the City, but he believed they’d fight with them too. They needed all the help they could get.

* * *

When dusk came, James had excused himself and, several minutes later, Steve came in. They stayed up late into the night working on how the newcomers would fit in with the plan, but didn’t solidify anything yet, in case they gained assistance from the innkeep. They tentatively decided that Yondu, Kraglin, and Gabe would run through the gates after James and Quill, helping to create the distraction and gain the attention of the guards, taking out as many as they could on the way. Carol would go in a wagon with the twins the day before to get into place and Peggy would stay with Drax, Erskine, and Captain. Tony knew James would feel better having Peggy stay with Captain, and he knew that was part of why she volunteered to stay with him. They made plans to meet at the inn, but those from the village would travel separately. Carol would drive her wagon, taking the twins, Peggy, and Gabe with her, while Yondu and Kraglin would make their own way and meet outside the City. No one asked anything further at a quick head shake from Quill.

The next morning the Guardians, Logan, Erskine, Tony, and James made their farewells and continued their journey to the inn. It didn’t take them long to get there, but they had to be more careful on their approach. They were deep into Hydra territory now, and they didn’t have the depths of the forest to hide them, not this close to the City. It was when they got even closer that they realized they needed to make a plan.

“I’ve been here, they know me, I think it makes sense that I’m the one to go in,” Tony told them, remembering his last interactions with Natasha and Bruce.

Gamora crossed her arms over her chest, “We have a long standing friendship with Natasha and Bruce, I think we should be the ones to go.”

Erskine stood with Drax and Peter, the three of them staying out of the argument, not caring either way. James shook his head, “If we want them to know why we’re going after Hydra _now_, I think it should be me.”

“They don’t even _know_ you!” Quill complained.

Logan, who had been gritting his teeth through the arguments, bit out, “Enough!”

The four arguing turned to look at him, eyes wide. Logan sneered at them, “This is getting us nowhere. I’ll decide who goes, alright?”

The four nodded meekly, none of them willing to anger Logan more than he already was, and stayed quiet. Logan glared at them before speaking again, “Tony and James should go.”

When Gamora and Quill went to argue, he held up a hand and narrowed his eyes, “Don’t even start. James needs to go since it’s his story to tell, and Tony’s has the most recent contact, as well as being the one who lived in the City most recently, so he can provide intel if asked.”

Everyone looked at Logan as if he’d spoken in tongues, but he just sneered again, “Ya think I can’t talk nice when I wanna? Can’t be around Chuck and Erik for long and not learn strategy, not with all their games of chess.”

Everyone looked away. Peter hiding a grin behind his hand.

“We’ll go first thing in the morning, then?” Tony asked, looking at James. It was late in the day, and he knew the other man didn’t like being around others when he transformed.

Logan shook his head, “Go now.”

James, surprised, looked at the other man, “Why? If negotiations take too long…”

“They’ll have proof,” Logan pointed out.

James opened and closed his mouth a few times before blinking, “I…you’re…I guess that’s…yeah. They would, but…I’d also be a wolf. In their inn.”

Logan rolled his eyes, “Take the bird. You’re tame enough with him around.”

Captain let out a shriek and flew to land on James’s metal shoulder. James laughed, “That’s how it is?”

The hawk screeched, making James laugh again, “Alright, then. We’ll go now.”

They left their things with the group and made their way through the trees surrounding the inn. As he looked around the inn, Tony realized how much had changed since he’d last been here. He had been on the run, with no family, few friends, but now…he was still on the run, but he had his father back, and he felt he was friends with at least some of his traveling companions. And they were on their way to get rid of Hydra for good. He smiled at that.

James nudged him, bringing him back to the present, “Are we in the clear?”

Tony glanced around again, making sure to pay closer attention to the tree line this time, before nodding, “It looks like it.”

They made their way across the clearing to the main entrance, keeping their heads down to hide their faces. Once inside, Tony scanned the room. When he didn’t see any Hydra soldiers, he stopped trying to hide his face and made his way to the bar. Bruce, the innkeep, was behind the bar. The other man looked up, surprise on his face when he realized who was in front of him, “Tony Stark.”

Tony smiled a greeting, “Well met.”

Bruce smiled back, a little awkwardly, “What brings you to the inn? You need another room?”

Tony shook his head, then nodded, “Well, yes, but we also hoped we could talk to you and Natasha.”

As soon as he said that, Tony felt eyes on him. Then he felt James move up close to him, back to the bar. James was keeping an eye on the room, but he’d done something to gain attention, even if he did talk quietly. Bruce eyed him for several moments before nodding to someone behind him, someone in the room. He watched as Bruce walked around to the end of the bar, opening the swing door and coming around. The innkeep stared at him again for several moments before nodding, “Alright. You can talk here.”

Tony was taken aback, “Er, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

The other man smirked, “Why not?”

James nudged Tony with an elbow to the ribs and he turned to look at him. He saw James’s attention on the room and turned to see what he was looking at. His eyes grew wide when he realized that not only was the entire room was watching them, but there were several guests face down on the tables. Tony turned, wide eyed, back to Bruce, who was still smirking, “Wha…what just happened?”

Bruce shrugged, “It’s our establishment, we control who hears what. They’ll wake up later thinking they’d had too much to drink.”

Natasha stepped out from the hallway, “You want to talk, so talk. Everyone who _can_ hear is allowed to.”

Tony looked around the room again, recognizing the dark blonde haired man at the dart board from before. Natasha had said he was her husband. Clint. He also recognized a pair of men, one with long blonde hair and a braided beard, the other clean shaven with long, straight black hair. This time, a woman was sitting beside the blonde man, his arm around her shoulders. She had long, dark brown hair and reminded him of Gamora, with the way she was eyeing them. There were three other men at another table: one with long red hair and a long beard, the second had black hair pulled back into a bun and a braided beard, and the third had short blonde hair and a short handlebar mustache and beard. There was a group of women and men at another table as well, all watching them.

Tony looked back toward Bruce and Natasha, “Alright. We’re here to ask you to join us in taking down Hydra.”

Bruce’s eyes widened and Tony noticed a slight change in Natasha’s expression, but nothing that gave away her thoughts. Bruce turned back to look at her and they stared at each other for several moments before Bruce stepped back, “You can talk to Natasha about that. I’ll stand by her decision.”

Natasha came forward and sat on one of the bar stools, gesturing for Tony and James to do the same. She eyed them as they sat down, then spoke, “So. You want to take on Hydra. The two of you.”

Tony shook his head, “More than two of us, but we’re the ones who came to talk.”

She nodded at that, “Smart.”

“We thought so,” James said, rolling his eyes.

“Who are _you_?” Natasha asked him, “I know Tony, but I have no idea who the hell you are.”

James met her eyes as he responded, “James Barnes.”

They heard several sharp breaths throughout the room at his name. Natasha raised a brow, “James Barnes?”

“That’s right,” he told her, then clicked his tongue. Captain, who had flown off when they came in, let out a shriek and flew back to them, landing on James’s metal shoulder.

There was low chatter around the room at that. Tony turned back to Natasha after glancing around again, “You know.”

James pet Captain as he watched the woman next to them. She watched them for several moments before nodding, “We’ve…been hearing things. There’s been a lot of talk over the years of Hydra trying to find James Barnes and his pet bird.”

“Do you know why?” Tony asked.

Natasha shook her head, “Best we could figure was that he did something Pierce didn’t like. We figured if the man ever came in here, we’d owe him a pint.”

Bruce, who had walked back behind the bar, set a pint of ale in front of him with a smirk, “Glad we got the chance.”

James grabbed the pint and took a sip, not breaking eye contact with Natasha, “Not bad. Thanks.”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed, “Why are Hydra after you?”

He laughed bitterly, “They’ve been after me for 30 years.”

Tony looked around the room again, trying to get a read on the people, but most were good at hiding their emotions and reactions. The long haired blonde, though, he wasn’t. He was surprised at what James had said. Surprised, but also interested.

“They’ve been after Stevie that long too,” James told them nonchalantly as Captain hopped onto the bar.

“Who’s ‘Stevie’?” Natasha demanded.

“You’re about to meet him,” James told her and Tony’s eyes widened right before the other man dropped to the floor, letting out a low groan.

Natasha looked like she was about to attack him, but Tony stood above the other man, ready to protect him if needed, “Stay back!”

Tony saw the silver glow start, just as the golden glow started to cover Captain. He stood over the transforming man until it finished. Everyone looked between the wolf, where James had been, and Steve, where Captain had been. Steve blinked, trying to sort through what happened that day. Winter started to growl at all the people in the room when he didn’t see Steve, and that was enough for the shorter man to shuffle across the bar and hop down, crouching beside the wolf, whispering to him that everything was okay as he started to help the wolf out of the clothes he was now tangled in. Once he’d untangled Winter from the clothes, he put them on himself, blushing as he realized exactly how many people had just seen him naked. Natasha watched them before looking back up at Tony, “Is that Steve?”

Tony laughed at the absurdity, but nodded, “Yeah, that’s Steve.”

“Steve Rogers.”

Steve and Tony both looked around, trying to find who said his name. It was Clint, Natasha’s husband. He was staring at Steve as if he’d seen a ghost. Steve’s brow furrowed as he tried to figure out how the man knew him, because he was pretty sure he didn’t know him. He shook his head, “Yeah, do I know you?”

Natasha watched her husband as he came closer, freezing when she heard the wolf growl menacingly. Steve just continued to pet Winter, shushing him as he watched the other man curiously. Clint moved as close as he was willing, with a wolf growling at him, before he spoke, “I…we’re cousins. Of a sort. My ma was your ma’s niece. I…we thought you were dead. No one’s heard from you in…”

“30 years?” Tony asked hesitantly, seeing the shocked look on Steve’s face.

Steve stood quickly, “My ma…”

Clint just shook his head. Steve nodded, a couple tears falling, “I think I knew that, but…I always wondered.”

“She never stopped looking,” Clint told him sadly, “but she got sick. Couldn’t shake it.”

Steve swallowed harshly, “I’m glad she still had family after…”

“_You_ were family,” Clint told him, not quite angrily, but demanding, “Where were _you_?”

Steve felt tears well up in his eyes. Winter stood and growled louder. Tony was about to step in, but Steve just shook his head, “That’s enough, Winter. He just asked a question, is all.”

Steve was quiet for several moments before he spoke again, and then he was telling the whole story. He, like James, had figured out the best way to abbreviate their story, but it still took some time. At one point, Steve sat on the floor and cuddled Winter to him before continuing. When he got to why they were there, it had been a couple hours. Steve shook his head, “I couldn’t go back, not with Hydra after us. I wasn’t gonna bring them down on ma. Especially with what they did to us. I couldn’t stand thinking what they woulda done to her.”

“She still missed you,” Clint told him, though his face wasn’t as hard, “She’d say things sometimes, about how she missed you, but then she’d turn around and say she was glad you didn’t come to see her, because she knew there were soldiers watching her. She didn’t want you caught, and knew she had to let you go if that’s how it was gonna be.”

“It was really hard,” Steve said, curling his arms tighter around Winter, “It took us a while to find some kind of stride, but we did, eventually. And we both knew we couldn’t risk our families any more than they already were. Not when we couldn’t do anything about it. But now we can. Now, there’s a group of us and we’re gonna take Hydra down. So we wanna know if you’re with us or not.”

Clint looked from his cousin to his wife and nodded once before looking back at Steve, “I’m with you.”

“_We’re_ with you,” Natasha said. Tony watched as those around the room nodded as well, going along with their choice.

Steve looked around as well, smiling sweetly at everyone before nodding once in gratitude, “Thank you.”


	10. X

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. I hope you've enjoyed the journey with me, it was fun, and I'm glad I was able to finish. Thanks to everyone, I have a few other stories that I might start posting to see if I can get back into them the same way I did with this one, so keep an eye out if you're interested. If not, I hope you've enjoyed this one!

After everyone in the inn had agreed to join them, Natasha made introductions. She introduced Clint, who hadn’t actually given his name, but Natasha had mentioned her husband, Clint, the last time Tony was there.

“That’s Thor Odinson, his wife Sif, and Loki Laufeyson,” she introduced, gesturing at the table with the man with long blonde hair with his arm wrapped around the brunette and the man with long black hair, “Thor and Loki are brothers.”

“Adopted,” Loki pointed out, his accent similar to Peggy’s.

Tony let out a snort at that. Thor let out a loud booming laugh, and reached over to shove at the other man’s shoulder, as if it was a big joke. Natasha shook her head and moved on, gesturing at the table with three men, “Those are friends of Thor and Sif: Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun.”

The three men each gave a nod in acknowledgement of the introduction but said nothing. She gestured at the last table, “Those are agents of Shield. Melinda May, Alphonso Mackenzie, Daisy Johnson, Bobbi Morse, Antoine Triplett, and Phil Coulson.”

Tony’s eyes widened. Agents of Shield? Why…

One of the men stepped forward, a bland but welcoming smile on his face, “I’m Phil Coulson. Shield has been dispatching teams of agents throughout Hydra territory for some time, trying to keep an eye on what’s been happening and to see when it would reach a point when we should step in.”

Steve stiffened, standing and glaring at the other man, “It hasn’t been bad enough for you to step in yet? Is that what you’re saying? You’ve just been standing by, letting Hydra experiment on people? _Your own_ people in some cases!”

Phil let out a sigh and held his hands up, “There’s been no solid intelligence on what Hydra’s been doing. Even to our own people. What you know is the first solid lead we’ve gotten in…many years. The best we could do was dispatch agents and hope the citizens would come forward with _anything_ that we could act on. _This_, your plan to destroy Hydra, that’s a solid plan of action and, while Shield cannot officially step in to help, my team is more than willing to work with you.”

Steve considered the other man for several moments before nodding, “Fine, but that won’t make this Shield territory. Not unless the people want that.”

“Understood,” Phil responded with another smile before turning to his fellow agents and nodding once. He turned back to Steve and Tony, “What’s the plan?”

* * *

Before they started working through the plan again, Tony went out to get the rest of their group. Logan had grumbled a bit about it taking so long, but that was it. The Guardians were surprised at the number of people willing to support them, fight with them, but were pleased with the near double in numbers. Logan had smirked when he saw the unconscious patrons, but hadn’t questioned it. Phil recognized Erskine immediately as one of Hydra’s former inventors and someone they had wanted to speak to. Erskine explained that he no longer worked for Hydra and wanted to help as much as he could.

Once everyone had been introduced again, they started rehashing the plan, taking everyone into account. They decided to maintain their latest teams, but the Shield agents along with Thor, Sif, Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun would follow James and Quill, with Yondu, Kraglin, and Gabe, to ensure guards were called down from the castle. They’d have a large enough group to fight back if it came to that. They all hoped the men would lay down their arms, but didn’t know for sure so wanted to be prepared either way. Natasha and Clint would arrive the night before, just traveling through the gates, and would stay at the pub, ready to move with Tony to go after Pierce. They would be a completely independent team and would make their own call on when to move and how. No one argued. It was decided that Bruce and Loki would stay behind at the inn, keeping the soldiers already there, and any others who arrived later, contained so they couldn’t go to help the City. Phil sent a raven back to Nick Fury, leader of Shield, to update him on the situation, requesting he send agents into the plains to detain any Hydra soldiers on patrol. They didn’t want to be surprised by returning soldiers and have that throw the entire plan off.

They made a plan of attack once everyone was inside City walls as well. It was decided that those with James and Quill would make their way through the City and to the castle, capturing or incapacitating any Hydra soldiers as they went. By the time they reached the castle, Tony would, hopefully, have found Pierce and gotten his blood. Natasha and Clint would be with him and would work to detain Pierce, if they could. If not, they would stay hidden inside the castle after Tony left, to keep track of Pierce and, if possible, incapacitate as many Hydra soldiers as they could while they waited for James and the others to confront Pierce and his cohort of Strike Team members. That part of the plan relied entirely on how many soldiers Pierce kept with him. Steve said that he would put his own safety as the highest importance, so they could expect at least one Strike Team on Pierce. Once their individual parts in the plan were complete, everyone would converge on the castle and Pierce.

It was a bit sketchy toward the end, but it was the best they could do with the limited information they had. Tony reminded everyone that they should also expect at least _some_ support from inside City walls, that Jarvis and Pepper would have spread word to the network within the City and they, at least some of them, would stand with them for the attack. They made plans to start executing the plan the next day, with Tony, Gamora, Logan, Peter, Carol, the Maximoff twins, Natasha, and Clint making their way into the City throughout the day and the full plan to begin the following morning, at dawn.

With the plans in place, everyone retired to sleep, having to bunk several per room to fit everyone. Tony, Steve, and Winter were given the room under the stairs and excused themselves, leaving everyone still in the common room to do as they would.

Inside the room, Tony saw a big stack of bedding on the end of the bed, and offered, “I can take the floor.”

Steve gave him an amused look and shook his head, “Tony, Winter and I will take the floor. It makes more sense than having the wolf on the bed, don’t you think?”

Tony laughed, running a hand through his hair, “Right. Well, do you want to wash up first? They have indoor plumbing here, so you can just-”

“Tony,” Steve interrupted, stepping toward him as he reached out to grab his hands, “Tony, I…I don’t know how to thank you, for everything you’ve done for us. You’ve helped us so much…”

Steve looked away, tears in his eyes, before turning back and meeting Tony’s eyes, which had grown wide, “I…when Bucky met you, that was a big turning point for us, Tony. I’m not sure if you realize…things had been…bad, and they weren’t getting better. Bucky wasn’t sure how much more either of us could take, and I couldn’t help but agree. We’ve been living half a life for so long, Tony, that we both sort of…lost hope? Then you came along, and Bucky felt he had a purpose again, helping you get to Howard. And he had company, we both did, so we didn’t feel quite so alone anymore. Then Howard and Jarvis got a lead on Erskine and…everything kind of…snowballed from there, but Tony, you were a huge part of that. You gave us something to work toward again, something to hope for again. And I can’t thank you enough for that. There’s just…there’s nothing I can say, or do, to let you know…how much it means, how much _you_ mean to us.”

The smaller man let out a watery laugh, “Hell, I think Buck even thinks of you as a nephew, or little brother, or something now. And I feel that too. You’re family, Tony. And I wanted to make sure you knew that.”

Tony felt tears in his eyes. It had been a long time since he’d had anyone to consider as family, and now he had his dad and Bucky and Steve. He smiled down at Steve, “It’s the same for me, you know. When James, Bucky, told me that my dad was alive…that was something I hadn’t even considered in so long. You guys gave me something to fight for, too.”

Steve threw his arms around Tony’s waist, hugging him close. Winter let out a soft whine and moved forward to nudge one of Tony’s hands with his head, making Tony laugh as he started to pet the wolf. They stood like that for several moments before Steve moved back, wiping a sleeve across his eyes, “Thanks for everything, Tony.”

Tony could only nod as they both went about washing up and settling in for sleep. Later, as Tony lied in bed, he couldn’t stop some tears from falling as he thought about how much he’d gained after leaving the City and Hydra. He hoped their attack would set the other citizens of the City free, end the tyranny of Hydra and Pierce for good.

* * *

Clint and Natasha left first thing in the morning. Carol and the twins had arrived early that morning and would wait until midday to travel to the City. Peggy and Gabe had arrived with them and would travel with everyone during the night, so they would be ready to move quickly the next morning. Quill told them not to worry about Yondu and Kraglin, they would meet them the next morning to begin the attack. That just left Tony, who would leave with Carol and the twins, but would hop off the wagon before they approached the gates. Everything was tense the rest of the morning, as they all just waited. James was petting Captain almost aggressively, trying to keep himself calm. Tony had gone over to try to talk to him, but the other man’s attention was on what was to come.

Midday came and he grabbed his pack, which had several of the weaponized pipettes his dad had made as well as wire cutters. He waved farewell to the group, getting a nervous hug from Peter, and walked over to James. He shifted awkwardly before speaking, “I’m heading out with Carol and the kids now. I guess I’ll see you…at the castle tomorrow.”

He turned to walk away, but James reached out and grabbed his arm, looking at him with an almost pleading look, “Be safe. I know we have this big plan, but if you can’t do it relatively safely, don’t do it. We can figure something out. I don’t want to have to tell Howard that something happened to you. I don’t want to have to tell Steve something happened.”

Tony was touched at the concern, but made himself smirk and reply, “It’s okay, Steve told me how you feel, you don’t need to hide it anymore, Bucky.”

James gave a bark of laughter and shoved him away, “See if I try to show it again. Now get outta here.”

Tony gave one last look, but nodded and smiled gently, “I’ll be as safe as I can be. I’m meeting a friend tonight and can get a better idea of the support we might have. You be careful too, Steve’s gonna be waiting for you.”

James gave a watery smile and pet Captain again, not responding.

“You coming, Tony? We’re heading out now,” Carol called back through the common room.

He gave James one last look before walking toward Carol, “I’m ready.”

* * *

“Maybe I’m not ready,” Tony let out a groan as he hit the ground with a thud, rolling away from the wagon as it continued to roll past. He quickly moved to his feet, keeping low as he jogged to the canal alongside the City walls. They’d left at midday, which had worked out well, as they’d arrived at dusk, giving him shadows for cover. He kept looking around, making sure no one was nearby as he gently lowered himself into the water, trying not to make ripples. He shivered at the chill, but continued on. He slowly, so as not to create splashes, swam close to the bridge into the City, taking a deep breath and ducking under. He swam down, cautiously blinking open his eyes. He immediately saw the gate covering the way into the City and grabbed on with one hand. He used his free hand to touch along the gate, feeling for any weaknesses. When he felt his lungs ache from holding his breath for so long, he surfaced quickly, but quietly, under the bridge, gasping for air. He tried to stay as quiet as he could, so he didn’t alert the guards. He ducked down again, once he was able to catch his breath, and continued feeling along the gate for weak spots. It took four dives before he found the weakest spot, the best place to cut. The lower corners were weaker and he should be able to cut and peel it back enough to swim through. He dove down again, grabbing onto the gate and using it to pull himself farther down. Once he was positioned, he used one hand to pull the wire cutters from his pack and set about cutting the wire of the gate. He had to surface for air twice before he’d cut enough to pull it back. He surfaced one last time, once he’d pulled the gate back enough to get through. He waited until his breathing evened out before taking a deep breath and diving again, using the gate to pull himself down again, and slipped through the opening. He swam as far as he could before his lungs started to protest. Not sure where he would surface, he slowly lifted his head from the water, taking deep breaths in case he needed to dive quickly. He blinked water out of his eyes and looked around. It took him several moments to recognize the area he’d surfaced in. It wasn’t far from the main gate, but far enough that he shouldn’t have to worry about the guards seeing him. He still hurriedly pulled himself from the canal and leaned against the side of one of the houses, catching his breath again, but hidden enough that he wouldn’t be seen unless someone knew where to look. He hadn’t realized it would take so much out of him.

When he’d caught his breath fully, he started to make his way through the shadows of the buildings. Rather than making contact with the network individually, he decided to stop in at the butcher’s. Happy Hogan was part of the network, but he was also married to Pepper Potts, who managed his father’s pub. Jarvis should have already contacted her to get word out. He didn’t want to go to the pub, Carol and the kids would already be there and he didn’t want too many of them in one place, so he would go to the next best source: Happy.

As he approached the butcher’s shop, he paused outside, in the shadows along the side of the shop, listening for any patrons that may be inside. He heard the little bell Happy kept over the door jingle and heard someone call back, “Thanks, Happy, we’ll see you next week.”

He let out a sigh of relief, listening again, but not hearing anything further. He pushed open the door, hearing the jingle of the bell, and went inside. He looked around, seeing nothing other than the standard displays of beef, chicken, and other meats. A call came from the back room, “I’ll be right there. Have a look around!”

Tony let out a small laugh as he stepped closer to the counter and leaned against it, resting his chin in his hand as he kept his attention on the door to the back of the shop. He laughed heartily when a man came out, letting out a shocked yell when he saw who was in his shop, dropping the boxes he was holding. The man, Happy, quickly bent down to pick up the boxes, muttering curses under his breath, making Tony laugh again. He waited for the other man to set his armful of boxes down before speaking, “Well met, Happy.”

The other man wasted no time in rushing around the counter and pulling Tony into a hug, muttering to himself as he realized Tony was soaking wet. He released Tony, putting his hands on his shoulders and holding him at arm’s length, looking him up and down, “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Tony shook his head, feeling a sudden exhaustion overwhelm him at the welcome from his friend. He’d missed his friends, “I’m alright, Happy, just wet. I took a swim in the canal, that’s all.”

“‘That’s all’ he says,” Happy muttered, steering Tony around the counter and into the back, leading him to a kitchen. He left Tony in the doorway as he grabbed a chair and moved it directly in front of the fireplace, gesturing for Tony to sit.

When he did, he let out a sigh at the warmth and leaned forward. He heard Happy leave the room, but couldn’t bring himself to care as he warmed himself in front of the fire. He must not have heard Happy return, because suddenly a pile of clothes were thrust in front of him and the other man shook them and said, “Here, change. Can’t have you getting sick. Not with everything happening now.”

Tony stood and changed, snickering when Happy turned around as he started stripping his clothes off, but quickly finished pulling on the oversized clothing the other man had given him. He sat down again, holding his hands in front of him, closer to the fire, before turning to Happy, “Any news?”

Happy nodded, leaning against the wall near the fireplace, “Pepper and Jarvis have been reaching out to the network, just getting a feel for what support there might be. They’ve gotten a lot of positive responses. Lotta people wanna stand against Hydra, but haven’t been able to before now.”

“Good,” Tony nodded, staring into the fire, “That’s good. Anything negative come up?”

Happy shook his head, “No one wants to stand with Hydra, but there are some worries about the soldiers. They’ve been conscripted, so no one wants to see any harm to the men who were forced to follow Hydra.”

“Neither do we,” Tony agreed, “Our guys will offer a chance for surrender. Put word out to those who can keep it quiet: surrender and no harm will come to you. But if they stand with Hydra, the plan is capture or incapacitate. If they fight us, we’ll have to fight back, and we can’t guarantee an outcome if that happens.”

Happy nodded, “I’ll spread the word through the network. When’s everything going down, Tony?”

“Tomorrow at dawn,” Tony told him, standing, “I’ve gotta get going. I need to be in place for tomorrow morning.”

“You got a safe place?” Happy asked, concern furrowing his brow.

Tony nodded and smiled, “Thought I’d pay a visit to Rhodey, see what he’s been up to recently.”

Happy let out a groan, “I don’t know that he’ll be happy to see you, Tony.”

“Why not?” Tony asked, worried, “Did something happen? Is he okay?”

Happy shook his head and grinned, “No, it’s just…is he ever?”

Tony groaned and shoved at Happy’s shoulder, getting a laugh from the other man, “I’m a delight, Happy, and he knows it.”

Happy laughed again, “Yeah, sure. Wait here for a minute, alright? I wanna make sure it’s clear.”

Tony nodded as Happy left, waiting in silence as the man made sure he would be safe to leave. A minute later, the other man returned, but gestured down the hall, “You best take the back door, just to be sure.”

Tony followed as Happy led him down the hall to a door at the back of the shop, smiling as the other man opened the door and looked out. Happy turned back and nodded, “You’re good to go. Stick to the back alleys on the way to Rhodes’s, okay?”

Tony stepped out, turning back to nod, “Yeah, that’s the plan. Pep’s got guests at the pub, I’ll be stopping by tomorrow if everything goes well, but you should keep an eye out. Anyone wants to help, we’d welcome it.”

Happy reached out and pulled him into a quick hug before letting him go, “Got it, now get outta here. I’ve got a business to run.”

Tony laughed quietly as he walked away, quickly darting through the shadows of the alleys as he made his way closer to the castle. He came to a stop when he reached the back of a house right outside the castle training yard. He knocked once, then again a second later, then rapidly three times. He heard something crash inside the house as footsteps quickly made their way to the door. He stepped to the side, so he would be able to see who answered the door before they saw him, just in case. The door swung open and a tall, thin, dark skinned man stepped out, glancing around quickly. Tony stepped out from the shadows and the other man darted forward and pulled him into a tight hug, talking quickly, “Dammit, Tony, I’ve been worried out of my damn mind. First, you’re taken to the dungeons, then you manage to escape and no one can find you until word comes back that you were found in the company of James freaking Barnes, a damn fugitive, Tony. And you’ve been gone for _weeks_. What the hell, man?”

Tony returned the hug, burying his face in Rhodey’s neck, letting out a weak laugh, “Oh, Rhodes, you wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

After several minutes, Rhodey finally released him, pushing him back and looking him up and down, not unlike Happy had done, to determine if he was injured or not. He nodded once, satisfied when he didn’t see any obvious injuries, then put an arm around Tony’s shoulders and led him inside, shutting and locking the door behind them. He led Tony through to the common room, making sure to lock the front door as well on the way. He guided Tony to a seat near the fireplace and brought over his own chair and sat next to him, staring, before shaking himself, “Tones, talk to me. I’ve been…hearing some things from Pepper, but don’t know what to believe right now.”

Tony took a breath and gave him a brief overview of what had happened, from escaping to meeting James, then Steve, to learning what happened to them, to seeing his dad again, and then their plan to take down Hydra. When he got to that part, he hesitated, then just told him everything. Rhodey had been conscripted to Hydra and had worked his way up through the years to be Captain of the Guard. If their plan was going to work, he needed Rhodey on their side. Rhodey had known of his work with the network and hadn’t said anything. He trusted the other man. They’d been best friends since they’d first met 20 years before, and he didn’t know what he’d do without him. He just didn’t know where the man would stand in the face of an uprising. Would he feel the need to fight for the organization he’d been with for so many years? Or would he face them with Tony and the others?

When he finished, Rhodey stared into the fire for several minutes, not speaking. Tony let him gather his thoughts, used to his friend’s habits. He needed time to process and work out his own plans. Several more minutes passed before Rhodey turned to Tony, “You know I’m with you, Tones. I’m always with you.”

Tony felt such relief that he felt a few tears fall and quickly wiped them away, “Thanks, Rhodes. I’d hoped…but was afraid you’d think you had to stand with Hydra.”

Rhodey shook his head with a scoff, “No, I’d never stand with Hydra of my own volition, not when there’s a viable alternative. Hydra’s never been good, Tones, we all know that. I’ll be sure to lead the guard when we’re called out tomorrow morning. I’ll lay down my arms and encourage the others to do the same. I wanna see Pierce go down for all he’s done over the years. I’m with you on this.”

Tony let out a sigh of relief and suddenly felt the weight of exhaustion again. It had been a day of extremes, so it wasn’t surprising. He blinked tiredly at his friend, seeing that he’d been speaking, but not knowing what he’d said, “What?”

Rhodey laughed gruffly, “Alright, Tones. Let’s get you to bed. You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

Tony let Rhodey heft him up, putting an arm around his waist and slinging one of Tony’s arms over his shoulders, as he guided, practically dragged, him to the guest room. It had been Tony’s room before everything happened. He would stay with Rhodey more often than he’d stay in his own home, the pressure of loneliness heavy there. He felt the soft feather bed welcome him and just let himself fall into sleep.

* * *

Tony woke to the sound of bells. He blinked sluggishly against the sleep still trying to draw him back in. Bells. Why were there bells? He heard movement from elsewhere in the house and tried to remember where he was, the fog of sleep slowly lifting. He sat up quickly, eyes wide. Bells. Alarm bells. Warning against intruders. James and the others must have made their move. He stood and looked around, seeing his pack against the wall and quickly grabbing it, looking inside to make sure he still had the pipettes. He shouldered the bag and hurried out of the room, smoothing his hands over his sleep rumpled clothes. When he made it to the common room, he saw Rhodey, already geared up.

The other man looked over at him and nodded, “I’m heading out. Keep watch through the window and I’ll give you a small wave to let you know when it’s clear for you to come out. If there are any guards left behind, I’ll signal that by a finger count, alright?”

Tony nodded, nervous now that it was time, “Yeah, yes, okay. I can do this. You can do this. We can do this.”

Rhodey came over and put his hands on Tony’s shoulders, “You got this, Tones. Just focus on your part for now, alright? Get the blood and get to Pepper’s.”

“Right,” Tony nodded, trying to calm his nerves, clenching and unclenching his fists before looking back up at Rhodey, “Be careful. Get everyone to surrender. Let them know you’re on our side. Tell James…tell him…tell him you’re part of the network and that Tony said to remind him that Steve’s gonna be waiting for him. Got it?”

Rhodey nodded, “Yeah, I’ll tell him. Don’t know if he’ll accept it, but I’ll tell him.”

“I don’t know either, but he might decide that we need all the help we can get and go with it,” Tony shrugged.

The other man let out a laugh before turning to leave, “Remember, I’ll signal when you’re clear. And-”

“Signal by finger count any guards that are left,” Tony recited back with an eye roll, “I’m not worried about this part, Rhodes. I’m worried about finding Pierce.”

Rhodey nodded, “Pierce is…he’s a slippery son of a bitch, but you can do this, Tones.”

With one last nod, Rhodey left. Tony immediately moved to the front window, peeking through the drapes for Rhodey’s signal. He watched as two dozen guards, maybe more, milled around in front of the training yard gates. Rhodey, who was the only one on horseback, seemed to be watching for something, speaking only when he saw it. Tony couldn’t hear what was being said, but saw Rhodey usher the guards forward. Rhodey waited until he was at the back of the guard train before signaling to Tony with a subtle wave, followed immediately by a clenched fist. No guards were left, at least in the training yard. He was sure Pierce would have men with him, but at least the way in should be clear. He waited until Rhodey rode off before cautiously opening the door. He heard shouts and other noises from farther into the City, but ignored them, focusing on his own mission. He quickly made his way through the gates, peeking in to see if there were any lingering soldiers. Seeing none, he made his way through the training yard and into the castle. Closing the door quietly behind him, he leaned against it and let out a sigh. That had been much easier than he’d expected. He looked down the wide hall, in each direction, and tried to figure out which way to go. He picked a direction and hurried along. He was a little surprised when, several minutes later, he’d yet to encounter anyone, though he had found a room that had laundry hanging and grabbed one of the outfits to better blend in. It was a serving girl’s outfit, but beggars can’t be choosers. He’d found one large enough to fit and that was all he needed. At least this way he wouldn’t be questioned at first glance. His head was still visible, though, so it was only good for that glance. Again, he’d take what he could. He continued on his way.

Another few minutes passed of him looking in doors and finding nothing, no one, before he heard it. There were cheers and shouts coming from nearby. He cautiously made his way down the hall until he reached the end, where a door was propped open. He heard the shouts from inside the room and looked inside before quickly pulling back. It was Pierce. He had a full Strike Team with him. He peeked inside again, hearing raucous laughter. Shouldn’t they be worried about what was happening? Were they _that _arrogant that they weren’t concerned?

He looked around what seemed to be the main hall. His vantage point wasn’t the best, but if he went inside, it would be a little more obvious. He tried to see what was happening but couldn’t. Then he heard a gasp from behind him. He spun around quickly and saw a serving girl, eyes wide, mouth open, staring at him. He held up his hands, trying to stop her from doing anything, but she opened her mouth, about to scream. He reached out and brought a fist down on her head, flinching, but catching her before she could fall, managing to grab the pitcher she was holding as well. He glanced around before dragging her back up the hall and into one of the empty rooms he’d found. He set her on the ground and paced. Then he realized: she was wearing a scarf over her hair. He could work with that. He made quick work of…borrowing…her scarf and tying it around his hair. He still had his facial hair, but he would keep his head down. Then he quickly loosened the scarf so he could put it across the lower part of his face. He shrugged at the end result. It would be enough to get in the room, anyway, more if they weren’t paying attention. He tied her up with some rags he found in the room and went back out.

This time he just walked into the room, keeping his head down as he walked straight to the table, refilling one of the mugs. He lucked out, in that these men ignored him in favor of whatever jokes they were telling and whatever it was in front of Pierce that had their attention. As he made his way around the table, working his way closer to Pierce, he saw something that made his heart beat quickly. There, on the on the table in front of Pierce, was a bound hawk. Captain.

Tony felt like he couldn’t breath for minute. Captain. Pierce had Captain. Pierce had _Steve_. How had that happened? He continued making his way closer. Listening in, now, to what was being said.

“Can you believe they thought they could sneak him past us?” Rumlow was bragging, gesturing toward the side of the room.

Tony turned to see where Rumlow was pointing and his eyes grew wide at the sight of Peggy, Erskine, and Drax, all three tied up. He turned back to what he was doing, still listening.

“Rollins caught them trying to sneak in,” Rumlow continued with a laugh, “All he had to do was grab the bird and they all just came along without a fight. Pathetic.”

Tony was near enough to Pierce now that he could pretend to trip and get him with the pipette, but what good would that do with Captain _here_? He turned to look at Erskine, Peggy, and Drax again and saw Erskine watching him. The older man was staring at him until they locked eyes. Erskine widened his eyes and glanced toward Captain, then back at Tony, then at Peggy. What? Tony’s brows furrowed and he watched at Erskine did it again, this time after he looked at Peggy, he looked at Captain again. He still didn’t know what the man was trying to say. Peggy shifted and Tony saw she was looking at him too. She rolled her eyes the looked down at her chest before looking at Captain and Pierce, then back at Tony. When she realized he still didn’t understand, she shifted until Drax was partly in front of her before tilting her chin toward her chest and…when she lifted her head, there was a vial between her lips. Tony’s mouth dropped open and he turned away quickly. _Oh_. She had the serum. Oh! _She had the serum_. He turned back to them and saw she was looking up at him smugly. She gave a short nod. One dose of the serum, enough for Captain. He looked at Erskine and raised a brow, trying to get across a question about the extra doses. Erskine nodded once before looking away. They still had the other serum. Good.

With this new information, Tony wondered if he should wait until the others made their way to the castle. He continued around the table, refilling mugs from the serving girl’s pitcher until it was empty, then continued on, but pretended he was filling mugs. He looked over at the others, glanced at Pierce then Captain, then back at them with a raised brow. He didn’t want to move if they would be left behind. Peggy shifted again until she was practically kneeling. No one noticed, they were too preoccupied with celebrating, and she was still using Drax as cover. She managed to bring her hands around in front of her and brought the ropes to her mouth, working to untie them. Tony was impressed, and a little scared. He could see now why Peggy and Gamora were friends. And if Carol was anything like them…they were a force to be reckoned with.

He moved up the table, having decided to move forward with his plan. He could trip and fall enough that he could get Pierce with the pipette and grab Captain. He could try, at least. He was about to make his move when the doors at the end of the hall burst open. He was surprised enough that his planned fall turned into a real fall. He fell onto Pierce, and fumbled with the pipette before he was able to stab the man with it, lurching quickly away when Pierce gave him a hard shove, yelling, “You _stupid _girl!”

Tony dropped the pitcher and made a fast grab for Captain. The Strike Team members were distracted by the entrance of James astride Rosie, and the others flanking him, that they didn’t try to stop Tony, but Pierce saw him and tried to grab the bird himself. Tony let out a cry when the man grabbed his arm harshly and yanked him closer. Tony stumbled at the force but managed to keep hold of Captain. Pierce let out an angry cry as Tony managed to stumble away from him. Peggy, who had made quick work of her bindings as well as Drax and Erskine’s, rushed toward them, holding out the vial of serum. Drax immediately stood in front of them, blocking them from Pierce, but soon, many other streamed into the hall, the fighting with the Strike Team blocking them even more. Tony quickly unbound the bird, who let out a shriek when his beak was freed, and handed the pipette to Peggy. She turned to Erskine, who quickly added a drop of blood to the vial of serum and gave it and the pipette to Tony. Tony quickly tucked the pipette away in a pocket before he looked at the serum, then at Captain, “You’ll be free now, Steve.”

Peggy helped him hold open Captain’s beak and he quickly poured the serum in, then gently closed his beak so none would leak out. Captain struggled for a few moments before going still. Tony looked up at a loud, harsh cry and saw James looking at them, looking at the still bird in Tony’s arms, a look of despair on his face. He thought something had happened, that they were too late. He had dismounted Rosie at some point, and was now on foot. He turned with a roar and swung his sword angrily at Rumlow, who was blocking him from reaching Pierce. Tony’s eyes flew to the head of the table, where Pierce had been and saw he was being held by Natasha and Clint, both dressed in the same outfit as Tony.

He turned back to Captain and saw an orange glow start to envelope him. He let out a happy cry and quickly set the bird down, standing by to protect him as he underwent the transformation, his _final_ transformation. Peggy was standing by, fiercely guarding him as well. Erskine had tears on his face as he watched. The noise around them dimmed and Tony turned to see what was happening. The fight appeared to be all over for Hydra. He saw several Strike Team members on the floor, bleeding, unmoving. Looking around, he saw the Shield agents making their way around the room and tying up any soldiers still alive. The other Guardians were standing with Yondu and Kraglin, Logan standing in front of Peter, rage on his face as he stared down at a fallen Hydra soldier. Peter had blood on his face, but otherwise didn’t look harmed. He hoped it was someone else’s blood. Gabe was making his way toward Peggy, walking past the Maximoff twins, who were standing triumphantly over fallen Hydra soldiers. Carol was working with the Shield agents to make sure the living Hydra soldiers were captured. Thor, Sif, and their friends were finishing their fight against the last standing Hydra soldiers. James stood, breathing heavily, over the body of Rumlow, staring. He looked up, the same blend of anger and despair on his face, and made his way toward Pierce, sword held in front of him.

Tony turned back when he heard a low groan. The golden glow was dissipating and he could see Steve. He could only stare in awe as Steve blinked open his eyes and looked down at his hands, _hands_, braced on the flood. He wiggled his fingers and watched as they moved. He let out a low sob. Tony looked around for something he could wear. Drax, who had been wearing a cloak, removed it and wrapped it around Steve with a small smile, “Stevie okay.”

Steve shifted until he could stand, quietly whispering, “Thank you, Drax.”

Tony, Peggy, and Erskine all rushed forward to help him. Steve looked up at them with that bright sunshine smile that Tony hadn’t realized had been missing for the last couple weeks. Steve reached out for Tony’s hands and held them in his, still grinning widely, whispering, “Tony…you did it…”

Tony shook his head, tucking the cloak tighter around the other man and tying it shut, “_We_ did it.”

Steve nodded and smiled at the others around him, still speaking quietly, “Thank you. All of you.”

They heard a loud shout and turned to see James holding his sword at Pierce’s throat. Natasha and Clint stood behind Pierce, staring impassively. Steve took a hesitant step forward, then another when he realized he could, the cloak trailing behind him. Steve looked up at him sheepishly, “I’m a bit more sore than I usually am, Feel a bit weaker. Help me?”

Tony just nodded, holding his arm out for Steve to balance himself on. Steve called out, still softly, but loud enough to be heard, “Bucky. Stop.”

James froze, blade still held to Pierce’s throat. Steve moved forward slowly, “Don’t, Buck. You’re better than that. Better than _him_. Don’t let him do this to you. He’s done _enough_.”

James stepped back, glaring at Pierce, gesturing at himself and then at Steve, “Is this what you wanted?”

Pierce kept his eyes focused on something over James’s shoulder and James practically snarled, “_Look at us!_ Just _look _at what you’ve done. Is this what you wanted?”

Steve stepped forward again, “Bucky, please.”

Tony saw a change come over James. It was like all his tension released. _This_ was what he thought of when he thought of Bucky. James was tense, angry, but Bucky…he was more relaxed, more welcoming. Happier. Lighter. Bucky turned away from Pierce and let out a breath that was almost a sob, lowering his sword and taking a few hesitant steps toward Steve and Tony. When they continued toward him, he dropped the sword and rushed forward, not willing to wait for them to reach him, arms going around Steve’s waist as he sank to his knees in front of the smaller man, burying his face in the folds of the cloak, letting out a heavy sob that echoed through the room. Steve gently moved his hands through Bucky’s hair, leaning down to press his lips to the crown of his head, whispering softly into his ear.

Tony backed away, letting them have their moment, quickly brushing away his own tears at the tender moment. He heard a sharp gasp and looked up to see Pierce shove Natasha into Clint and lunge for the sword Bucky had dropped. Tony sucked in a breath as he tried to think of something to do, _anything_, but before he could, a knife embedded itself into Pierce’s shoulder. He looked in the direction it had come from and saw Peggy smirking. She gave him a quick wink before moving toward the fallen man. Erskine went with her, a pipette held at the ready. Tony shook himself, remembering that they still needed him for Bucky’s serum.

The doors to the hall opened again. Everyone stiffened and turned, ready to fight again if needed, but it was Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, with Rocket on his shoulder, and Phil Coulson. Tony hadn’t even realized the other Shield agent hadn’t been with his team. Rhodey looked over to him and nodded once. He let out a sigh of relief, glad that his friend was alright. Glad that all of his friends were alright. Pepper walked toward Peter and whispered something to him. Peter gasped, hands immediately going for the pocket in his tunic and he rushed forward, pulling out a vial, “I have the other serum!”

Bucky sniffed and turned to see the kid running toward them with a vial in his hand. He let out a watery laugh and looked up at Steve. Steve smiled down at him and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose, “It’s your turn. And I’ve gotta tell you, it hurts something fierce, Buck.”

The other man let out a harsh laugh, but stood, taking one of Steve’s hands in his as he stepped toward Peter, accepting the serum with a nod, “Thanks, kid.”

Peter grinned and stepped back, Logan coming up behind him and patting his shoulder. Erskine reached down with one of the pipette’s Howard created and jabbed Pierce in the shoulder. Pierce let out a growl, and threw himself backward, knocking Erskine down, the pipette rolling along the floor. He reached for his shoulder and pulled the knife loose before lunging toward Steve and Bucky, yelling, “He was _mine_!”

Bucky dove, dropping the vial, and went for his sword, rolling and stabbing up as Pierce reached them. The Hydra leader let out a choked cough as the blade went through his chest. There were gasps of surprise throughout the room, but no one protested. Pierce had been the source of power for Hydra for decades, with him gone, they could stamp out the rest of it.

Steve stared, wide eyes immediately searching out Erskine, asking, panicked, “The serum? Do we still have the serum?”

Erskine looked around frantically, trying to find the vial Bucky had dropped. Steve was searching as well, letting out a happy cry when he found it. He immediately grabbed it and brought it to Erskine. The older man looked down, trying to find the pipette, but saw it was shattered. Steve followed his eyes when he saw the man go pale. Steve stepped forward, whispering, “No…”

Bucky got up, leaving Pierce impaled on his sword after checking that he was dead. He saw Steve and Erskine looking at the ground and saw the pipette that had had Pierce’s blood. He froze. Steve looked up at him and he couldn’t move, “Buck…”

Bucky swallowed harshly, “It’s alright, Stevie. It’s okay. This is better than nothin’, right?”

Tony felt his heart wrench before he remembered. He rushed forward, rummaging in his own pockets, “Wait! I have…we still have…”

He pulled out the other pipette, the one they’d had for Steve’s serum. It should work since they’d only needed one drop for each vial, and the pipette held more than enough. Erskine jolted forward, taking it and immediately added a drop to the vial of serum. Bucky stumbled toward him and took the vial, glancing at Steve and giving him a wide grin before downing it. Everyone watched as a silver glow covered him quickly. He fell to the floor with a groan. When it dimmed, moments later, Bucky was grinning, even wider than before, “Didn’t hurt that much for me. Guess it was the actual transformation that hurt more.”

Steve returned the grin and threw his arms around Bucky’s neck, laughing as the other man leaned down and pressed their lips together before lifting him and spinning him around. Tony looked around the room then and saw all their friends and comrades grinning at the display. Drax and Peggy stepped up beside him, both smiling broadly. Rocket came running across the room and climbed up onto Drax’s shoulder, and the large man reached up to scratch its ears. Tony leaned toward Peggy and asked, “So, what the hell happened to the plan?”

Peggy rolled her eyes and nudged him with her shoulder, “Don’t even ask. I don’t think anything went according to plan, but we still beat them.”

“We did,” Tony said, almost in surprise, “We did beat them.”

Peggy gave him a gently smile and patted his shoulder before going to see her husband. Tony was still processing it when Erskine came over and stood in front of Drax, wringing his hands, “I…I am so terribly sorry for the part I had in the horrible things that were done to you and your family. I will do everything I can to try to make a cure. I promise, I will.”

Drax looked down at the man and nodded, still petting Rocket, “Drax accept.”

Tony turned back to Steve and Bucky. He hoped Erskine was able to find a cure for Drax and his family, like he did for Steve and Bucky. He watched as Bucky set Steve down and just rested his forehead against the smaller man’s, eyes closed. He didn’t know how they’d done it, but now they could finally be together. After so long…never truly being together…they could finally know happiness together. Tony turned to go speak with Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey. He wanted to tell them all about finding his dad. He was thinking about maybe moving to Genosha as he made his way to his friends, but stopped when he heard Steve call out to him.

Steve ran over and threw his arms around his waist, hugging him tight, “Thank you, Tony. You’ve done so much, _so much_, to help us. To _save _us. I don’t know how we can ever-”

“Stop,” Tony told him, hugging back, “You don’t owe me anything. We all did this. Every one of us. For you, yeah, but for everyone else, too. It needed to be done, and you guys helped us find a way.”

Steve nodded, accepting his words. Bucky came over and grinned at Tony, too, waiting for Steve to let go before pulling the man into his own hug, “Thanks, Tony.”

Tony laughed, nodding, “Same to you. You helped me find my dad again, so I think we’re good.”

Bucky let out a laugh and turned to Steve again, letting out the most joyous laughter as he pulled him in again, kissing him again and again. It had been a long journey, but they made it. Sure, they would need to clean up any loose ends with Hydra, but they knew they’d have Shield’s support in that. As it was, all that mattered right now, was them. They had friends, family even, and they were together. Finally together. At long last.


End file.
